On October 13th of 2021, I took my first flight in my grandfather's vintage 1946 Luscombe. I had been waiting years to go flying with him and my parents had finally agreed to let me. After this, I was hooked. Now, for the past four years I have been flying with him consistently and learning how to manage an airplane. He was an aircraft mechanic for the Air Force, and continued with maintenance after retiring. So, safety and learning engine systems has been an important factor in my training, and I believe it to be very important as a student pilot. In college and through my career in aviation, I plan to prioritize safety, not only by keeping myself safe, but also educating others. At some point in my career I plan to become a flight instructor, and I want to educate others on how to make proper decisions regarding flight and aeronautical decision making (ADM). In September, 2024 I enrolled and began flight training through the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Later that month, after just seven hours of training, I took my first ever stage check. The point of it was to make sure I was fit to solo by practicing important maneuvers like takeoffs and landings, and most importantly emergency procedures. The exam went well until we came back to the airport to land, or try to. I approached the airport and set up for a go around, to show I was capable of conducting one. However, as I added full power, the engine sputtered and died out. In the moment, I did not panic, but made sure to go through the checklist in my head. I handed the controls over to the other pilot, and continued to check the instruments and settings of the plane. Fortunately we were able to get partial power back and climb to 500 feet. In the moment, my mind was clear, and went over the checklist while my instructor communicated to Air Traffic Control (ATC). He was able to declare an emergency. Major airlines were doing go-arounds, and staying in the pattern. We gained enough altitude to circle back to a crossing runway. Crossing just over the cold waters of Portland Harbor, we landed safely. After making it back to the ramp, I got out of the plane and talked to my check pilot, and my real instructor. As a group, along with a representative from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), we discussed what happened. They assured me that the engine failure was not due to pilot error, but because of a true systematic problem of the powerplant. Though I knew this, I still felt scared, and this pushed me to learn more and become a better pilot, and it made me prioritize learning emergency procedures and being prepared for anything that could happen. For the next three months while the plane was being serviced, I continued to learn and fly with my grandfather. This made it so I was able to stay current and get back into training quicker. While the plane was being serviced, the maintenance crew found out that the push rod had bent and blocked the exhaust pipe, creating a partial engine failure. Finally, in December of 2024, I was able to fly with my instructor again. We practiced takeoffs and landings to prepare me for a safe solo, and before I knew it I was in the air alone. I have always felt that knowing about risk management and emergency protocols have been one of the most important factors of learning how to fly. Through my career I plan to prioritize safe aeronautical decision making (ADM), and teach others to do the same. My experience has forced me to prioritize safety in my training and has made me a better pilot. I hope to teach others the same in the future, like how my grandfather taught me. This includes continuing to learn about engine systems and maintenance in order to understand why accidents can happen and how to avoid them.

In October of 2021, I shoved myself into the small cockpit of my grandfather's 1946 Luscombe. This was the first time my parents had allowed me to go flying with him, and I could not have been more excited. We flew over the mountains to New Hampshire, landing on a small grass strip, fields of flowers surrounding us. Truly, this was one of the best days of my life, and my interest for aviation grew as I continued to fly with my grandfather at least once a week. Later, I joined the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) where I began flight training in September of 2024. I currently hold a class one medical certificate and a student pilot's license. At just seven hours of official flight training I was close to getting a solo endorsement. Unfortunately, I was unable to be endorsed because of an engine failure during a go around which cost the plane a new cylinder. This meant that the plane had to go through extensive maintenance in order to be considered airworthy again. As of November 2024, the issues are not fixed so I am unable to continue training.I did not let this scare stop me though. The next week I was back in the plane with my grandfather, flying to new airports across Maine and New Hampshire, learning how to read charts and plan a cross country flight. I could not be more excited to pursue a career in aviation, and I feel that the experience I’ve had makes me a strong candidate for professional programs. The reason I chose to take on this career is to better serve my community. This is something that has always been a goal for me and I have done everything I can by organizing clubs, volunteering at events and institutions, and being a member of CAP. An experience in aviation that has had a positive effect on me is volunteering at the Greenville International Sea-Plane Fly In. In September of 2024, I spent two days learning how to marshall and move around sea-planes. Though this was the main reason I was volunteering, I also made new friends and connections. The group of individuals I was with all had a clear interest in aviation and this motivated me further to continue making connections and talking to people with shared interests. Through college I hope to maintain these connections for the future. I am not 100 percent sure where my career in aviation will take me yet, but a dream of mine is to be a pilot for the Coast Guard. Search and rescue has been another passion of mine and I can see myself in that world after I graduate college. In June of 2024, I had the opportunity to attend a flight on the KC-135 with my CAP squadron. This experience opened my eyes to the possibilities of a career in aviation and reminded me why aviation is important. I believe one of the reasons aviation is important is because of the effect it can have on others. Many citizens from every community rely on air travel and aviation to see loved ones, travel to work and events, and keep their country safe. My ultimate goal for a career in aviation is to help others, whether it is getting others where they need to go safely, conducting search and rescue missions, or flying into hurricanes to gather weather information, I will be happy with any of these. I cannot wait to begin a professional career in aviation, and I am going to continue doing everything I can to get there.