Flying an airplane opened up a new world for high school student Miguel Martinez, who hopes to make a career out of it.
He got the chance to learn how to fly through a Thornton High School District 205 summer school program coordinated by Governor State University and Monee-based D14 Aviation.
“It was really fun,” said Martinez, 17, and a student at Thornwood High School in South Holland. “I love aviation, so the opportunity was pretty good.”
He has no problem with heights and found the coursework interesting.
“It seemed hard at first but the instructors made it really easy to pick up,” he said.
He hasn’t yet obtained a license but said he was accepted into Governors State’s pilot training program, which he hopes to begin in the summer. He wants to eventually be a cargo or stunt pilot.
Several dozen adult GSU students have taken the pilot private license course. The other courses are instrument pilot ground school, commercial pilot ground school and certified flight instructor ground school.
“In our partnership, we offer several ground school classes and then D14 pilots pick up the part of the program related to being in an airplane and getting flight hours,” said Michelle Sebasco, director of Academic Partnerships and Continuing Education. “The private ground school objective is to orient the incoming students to flight training and provide the theory and the concepts needed so the student is prepped for the FAA private pilot aeronautical knowledge test.”
Topics in the course include airplane systems, aerodynamics, flight instruments, communication procedures, weather, navigation and route flight.
Governors State has about five instructors through D14.
“We rely on D14 to help us screen for high-quality aviation instructors,” Sebasco said.
She said students and the community are looking for ways to grow professionally and engage in cutting-edge professions that could lead to lucrative salaries, but in a quick-training manner.
“What is very refreshing to me is the program is bringing opportunities to our community,” Sebasco said. “This is probably a population that might have been skipped for an opportunity like this.”
Chris Ratliff, who owns D14 Aviation, said there is no other such program in the vicinity without going to Lewis University or Purdue University. The company also works with the Kankakee Area Career Center, which reaches 18 different high schools.
“There was a need for more options for an aviation program,” he said.
Ratliff said they are reaching out to other area high schools to join the program.
“They’re all excited about it because it’s something new, they actually get to fly an airplane,” he said, noting his own daughter started flying at age 14.
Ratliff said the program also provides students an opportunity to achieve something they didn’t think they could do.
For now, Martinez has a busy schedule with high school classes. This past summer he was also part of a program where he learned duct work.
“I’m glad I did it,” Martinez said. “It gave me more confidence in my ability. … I know I can do this now.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
