Flying high: Frazier High School student earns private pilot license
When Ethan Roebuck was a young boy, his grandfather introduced him to aviation.
The Frazier High School senior said they often talked about military planes and the golden age of flight. Before his grandfather passed away, he made a request of Roebuck’s mother: make sure Ethan took a flight to see how he liked it.
That first flight was three years ago – Roebuck was 14 – and on his 16th birthday, he flew solo for the first time.
“It was surreal being up there on my own,” Roebuck said. “That was a moment I’ll never forget.”
This year, the 17-year-old got his private pilot’s license. The process wasn’t easy, he said, particularly with the rigors of being a full-time high school student.
Roebuck needed 200 flight hours, and had to pass a two-part test to get the license.
“There’s a written exam with the basic knowledge of flying, and the second part is a practical check ride; you talk to an examiner for about an hour, and then you have a two-hour flying test where you demonstrate certain maneuvers,” Roebuck said.
When he wasn’t practicing at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport or studying physics or instrument panels, Roebuck was choosing classes at Frazier High School to further his aviation education.
The Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Aerospace Engineering course offered at the high school has helped Roebuck and other students interested in aviation to understand the science behind flight.
The course covers topics such as aerodynamics, aircraft systems and navigation. Roebuck said the valuable knowledge shared in the class coincided with what he either had learned or was learning in flight school.
“Many of the questions that were assigned in lessons were almost identical in format to questions that appear on the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) private pilot written exam,” Roebuck said.
All the hard work has family, friends, teachers and staff at the high school excited about Roebuck’s future.
“Ethan’s achievement is something we’re incredibly proud of,” Jason Pappas, Frazier High School principal, said. “Our Project Lead the Way courses give students real-world skills and a chance to explore careers that inspire them. Ethan took full advantage of that and turned his dream into reality.”
The private pilot’s license was a big accomplishment, said Roebuck, but there is more flying on the horizon. He’s been accepted into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Fla., with the goal of earning a bachelor’s in aeronautical science and becoming a commercial airline pilot.
That requires at least 1,500 hours of flying time and other, more specialized licenses, he said.
“The private license is the first step and it’s pretty neat to get there at 17,” Roebuck said, “but there’s a lot still to be done.”