During summer break, two Air Force JROTC cadets from El Paso County Colorado School District 49 earned their private pilotís license through a Flight Academy scholarship, fully funded by the United States Air Force.Daniel Roach, a senior at Sand Creek High School, and Mark Wilson, a senior at Vista Ridge High School, attended an eight-week program at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, from the end of May to the end of July.Roach said his path to aviation began in April 2017 when he attended an event at Meadow Lake Airport in Falcon, Colorado, where he had a chance to fly an airplane.His colonel with the AFJROTC told Roach that he was good at flying and asked him if he wanted to be part of the Flight Academy program, he said.While in the program, Roach said he learned how to fly a Cessna Skyhawk C172S Nav III model airplane and learned how to use a Garmin G1000 navigation system to help track his flights and plot points to other airports.ìMy favorite part was flying, but beyond the flying, it was actually hanging out with the people I got to know there,î Roach said. ìBeyond the aviation knowledge I got, I gained knowledge of a college experience and made a lot of friends so there was a social experience there as well.îThe knowledge he gained during the program could help him get into the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, which Roach said is his No. 1 choice of colleges. ìPart of the Air Force Academy application asked about aviation experience,î he said. ìI do think that having my private pilotís license will give me a leg up with military installations because they are looking to fill pilot roles.îThe biggest takeaway from the program is that time management is essential, he said.ìFlying can be fun, but there is a lot of information you have to take in, and it can be very overwhelming.î
