Carter Edwards is one of our current DreamFlight Charities scholarship recipients, a DreamFlight intern, and he’s getting close to his first solo flight! We asked him to look back on how he got here, what training has really been like, and what he’d tell the next student who’s wondering whether flying is possible for them. Here’s his story, in his own words.
The Spark
For as long as I can remember, my grandfather, a medevac helicopter pilot in Vietnam, would take me to Capital City Airport to watch planes take off and land. That’s where my love for aviation came from, and I’ve been fueling the fire ever since.
Before I started training, I assumed learning to fly would mean more hours in the air than time with the books. I had no idea how much ground school there would be. Most of my time goes to ground training, but I love it. It’s challenging, and you get to apply it every time you fly.
Getting started felt overwhelming. I didn’t know where to begin. Receiving the scholarship took care of that first step, and suddenly I was officially starting flight school. Wings Flight Training laid out every step after that in a simple, clear way.
Scholarship Impact
The path to becoming a commercial pilot is expensive, so the scholarship was a huge help financially. Without it, I don’t think I’d be starting flight school this early.
If I could tell donors one thing, it’s this: your support let me start early. I don’t have as many responsibilities now as I will in even a couple of years, and starting now is going to make the road to my goal of becoming an airline pilot a lot smoother. It has also shown me that this is what I want to do with my life, and that I need to put as much time into aviation as I can.
In the Cockpit
The first landing. Landing the plane myself was a huge step. It gave me a boost of confidence and showed me that I can do this. It was the most exciting thing I’ve done in a long time.
The hardest skill. Power-on and power-off stalls have been the toughest to get down. I’ve only recently gotten more confident with them, once I understood how the plane reacts. When I don’t understand something, I try not to get frustrated. I just keep at it until I get it.
The moment I froze. During a power-off stall, the plane banked to the right as it stalled, and my instructor had to take over. It was the first time I didn’t know how to react, and I froze for just a second. It made me realize how fast something can go wrong, and that you have to be ready at all times.
The moment I felt like a real pilot. We flew to Lexington, and for the first time I talked to ATC myself. We landed on Runway 22, the biggest runway I’d ever landed on, and it felt so real. Coming in on final, I felt like a pilot. Then I put it down for the best landing I’d ever made. That was my proudest moment.
Growth Beyond the Cockpit
Flight training has changed the way I study. I’m much better at breaking material into pieces I can actually understand. My instructor has also taught me something that has nothing to do with stick and rudder: to trust my abilities. Since I started training, I’ve been more confident in myself, in and out of the plane.
My internship with DreamFlight has let me see everything behind the scenes and talk with many of the people who work at the airport. It’s helped me build a network and improve my social skills. I’m no longer scared to ask important questions, even when I think they might be dumb.
Looking Ahead & Advice to Future Students
My next milestone is my solo flight. To get there, I’m taking in every correction my instructor gives me in the air, doing ground school at home, and taking notes when my instructor goes over each topic in person. Five to ten years from now, I hope aviation takes me to the airlines. That’s my end goal.
It seems very scary to get started, but it doesn’t take long for that fear to turn into excitement. I didn’t think I was cut out for it either, but after a few hours in the plane, I knew this is where I want to stay. Being in the sky is the best feeling in the world.
Please join us in cheering Carter on as he heads toward his first solo!
Interested in starting your own aviation journey? Learn more about our training scholarships or how you can become a supporter and encourage the next generations of aviators!