ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio — Ashtabula Technical & Career Campus students were up flying with the birds Sunday morning as they finished week two of their aviation course.
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The Cleveland Soaring Society provided instruction and two gliders, one with and one without an engine. Students had the chance to hop in the cockpit with an instructor who helped with takeoff, turns and landing.
"Taking off was the most interesting part and kinda scary because it's very bumpy up there," Student Amanda Marrison said.
Of course, instructors threw in a few surprises along the way.
"[The instructor] did a stall on us," Marrison said. "That's something I do not want to repeat."
Each flight lasted around 15 minutes. While that seems short, it was enough time for student Amelia Zizka to decide that aviation and piloting is the field for her.
"After that flight," she said. "That's the career I'm going into. That set me on my way. I'm going to college for aviation."
That's the goal of this course.
News 5 has been following the progression of this course since it was first offered in the summer of 2024.
In its second year, students are spending three weeks learning the ins and outs of flying, listening to professionals in the aviation field, and taking tests in the hopes that they become the next generation of pilots, air traffic controllers, and engineers.
"We are safe because we start people young in this country," Bryce Kujait, the course instructor, said.
The future of the field seems to be in safe hands, as instructor Bryce Kujait said 10 of the 16 students passed their common knowledge test this week.
"That is a phenomenal pass rate for only two weeks," he said. "Most people take a year to get ready for it. We had a student score a 95, which is well above the national average. We couldn't be happier."
As this group of students wraps up the first chapter in their aviation journey, A-Tech and the Cleveland Soaring Society are already making plans for year three of the course, which will hopefully expand to other counties and reach more students.
"I highly recommend it," Marrison said. "I believe if you are at all interested in aviation, you should definitely try to teach and learn as much as you can."
