It was a chaotic day at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport when Hannah Popish, 16, flew a single-engine airplane solo for the first time. <\/p>\n
She remembers it clearly, like it wasn\u2019t several months ago before the COVID-19 crisis, but just yesterday. It was a beautiful afternoon with blue sky and no wind, there was a lot of private jet and commercial aircraft traffic, and after one practice take off and touchdown with her instructor, he told Popish to take off again but that he wouldn\u2019t be accompanying her this time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI remember closing the canopy to my plane and sitting there for a couple of seconds to register what was going on,\u201d Popish recalled during a phone interview June 8. \u201cYour whole career you\u2019re working up to this really big milestone and the whole time you\u2019re like, \u2018I\u2019m ready, I can\u2019t wait.\u2019 But when your instructor actually leaves you in the plane and it\u2019s actually happening it\u2019s something you\u2019re not prepared for. You\u2019re just not.\u201d <\/p>\n
After she closed her canopy to the Diamond DA40 aircraft and put her headset on, Popish listened closely to the directions coming from the airport control tower, making her way to the end of the runway. Just before she prepared for takeoff, Popish said she looked toward Owl Creek Road and saw her parents parked along the airport fence, waving at her. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a wonderful feeling to have that sense of accomplishment. \u2026 It\u2019s amazing to be able to tell yourself, \u2018Yeah, I got to this point because I worked hard and because I\u2019m a good pilot,\u201d Popish said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHere I (was), living out the dream I\u2019ve always had since I was a kid, sitting in a plane looking across the landscape of mountains. \u2026 It\u2019s a moment in my career that I will forever remember.\u201d <\/p>\n
Popish is one of three Aspen High School students who were able to fly solo for the first time this past school year as part of their training with the Aspen Flight Academy. <\/p>\n
According to Kate Short, aviation director for the Aspen School District and Aspen Flight Academy instructor, flying alone for the first time is a big deal and is part of what it takes for students to work toward earning their private pilot license. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our students are motivated \u2014 we\u2019re really lucky to have such motivated students,\u201d Short said. \u201cThis is a huge deal for them and shows they are safe, competent pilots.\u201d <\/p>\n
Like Popish, Robert Holton, 16, said his first solo flight was a huge milestone and a dream come true. <\/p>\n
Ever since his dad flew him from St. Louis, Missouri, to Aspen for a ski trip when he was around 5 years old, Holton said he\u2019s known he wanted to be a pilot. <\/p>\n
He said he was first exposed to aviation by the Aspen School District through flight simulations in sixth grade, and has been taking aviation curriculum at the high school as well. <\/p>\n
Last summer, he made it his goal to fly every other evening after work, and was able to fly solo for the first time late last year. <\/p>\n
It was the same day his dad was set to fly their plane to St. Louis, Holton said, and the two got to taxi out to the runway together. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I took off it felt so weird not having anyone next to me. It was so freeing,\u201d Holton said. \u201cMy dad told me over the radio he was so proud and that he\u2019d been waiting for this moment for 42 years.\u201d <\/p>\n
Holton, Popish and Zane Zachary, another AHS student who flew solo for the first time this past school year, hope to fly a lot on their own over the summer and pass the test needed to get their private pilot licenses. <\/p>\n
All three are rising juniors and plan to continue pursuing aviation at AHS and through the Aspen Flight Academy over the next two years, potentially pursuing careers in the field after high school. <\/p>\n
Evan Pearce, an AHS senior who graduated May 30, is pursuing aviation further at Purdue University this fall, planning to work toward earning a commercial pilot license. <\/p>\n
Pearce said his dad is a commercial airline pilot for American Airlines, and that he\u2019d always been interested in aviation but was really sold once he started flying. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it was my solo flight that solidified it,\u201d Pearce said of deciding he wanted to go into aviation. \u201cIt\u2019s a weird feeling to describe. It\u2019s a lot of responsibility that you know you\u2019ve been trained for but it\u2019s still terrifying that you as a 16-year-old are in control of a quarter-of-a-million-dollar airplane. \u2026 So it\u2019s just a weird, unique experience but a lot of fun.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pearce said he did his first solo flight on his 16th birthday, earned his private pilot\u2019s license while at AHS, and is excited to start working toward his commercial pilot license this fall. <\/p>\n
When asked why it\u2019s important for students to be introduced to different hobby and career opportunities like flying at a young age, Pearce, Zachary, Holton and Popish all mentioned it as a chance for young adults to try something different that they may never be exposed to otherwise. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome people get lucky and know what they love without having to search for it,\u201d Zachary said, noting that he feels that\u2019s what flying is for him. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel that what people miss out on in life is happiness and passion for themselves, and that a lot of my classmates are not able to find this in high school. For some, aviation might be this passion, for others it\u2019s not \u2026 but for me it will be a way to never work a day in my life and is just another door students can walk through.\u201d <\/p>\n
Zachary and the others also said they feel students at AHS are extremely fortunate to have the access to aviation curriculum, flight instruction and technology that they do, along with continued financial and emotional support from the Aspen area community. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a dream come true honestly, we have a very amazing program and the people who run it are very admirable,\u201d Zachary, 17, said. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool to watch the community come together to help kids reach these milestones and achieve their dreams at 17.\u201d <\/p>\n
mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/p>\n