Cadet Flyer Spotlight: Corwin
- Where are you from?
I am from Quincy, Massachusetts
2. What is something most people don’t know about you?
Most of my friends do not know I have been helping my parent’s chinese take out restaurant at the early age of 10. My early childhood was mostly working and taking orders versus hanging out with school friends.
3. What is your favorite place that you have flown?
Nantucket (KAC). It was the last flight I flew with my instructor, Matt Hurley, who got me interested in Saint Louis University where I currently train now to become a commercial pilot. We knew it was going to one of our last flights together which made it really special to me.
4. How long did you fly with ATC?
I flew with Above the Clouds for 2 years.
5. How did you find out about ATC?
I learned about Above the Clouds in 2014 when they reached out to me through their partnerships with Crossroads for Kids. I scheduled a date to head out to Norwood, MA and fell in love with the organization since.
6. What do you love about flying?
I enjoy the independence the comes with flying. It is up to my own skills and knowledge to fly the plane safely. When I fly with an instructor, it is up to me, as the PIC, to figure out how to execute the maneuver properly. When I do solo cross countries by myself, the silence of radio chatter and the engine rumbling beneath my headset are very calming.
7. Do you remember your first flight? How was it?
My first flight was an overwhelming experience of new lessons and knowledge. I did not think I could learn all the material that was being presented and not to mention the handling the flight controls for the first time. It was very difficult to maintain altitude and a heading because I did not know the effects of pitch and over controlling. In summary, it was a very bumpy first flight.
8. What is your most memorable ATC experience?
My most memorable ATC experience had to be my solo flight on August 17, 2015. I became very nervous when my instructor hopped out of N8222D and told me to go solo. It was very unexpected but I knew that my training prepared me for that moment. I taxied out, took off, and did my 3 laps around the pattern. At the very end of it all, my instructor came onto the radio and congratulated me for achieving this milestone in aviation.
9. How has ATC changed your life?
The organization has given me hope and inspiration to become a part of the next generation of pilots. No one in my family has any background in the industry so I would otherwise have no connections in aviation without ATC.
10. Talk me through a typical flight day with your pilot
My flight block at Saint Louis University starts at 9:30 am. I typically wake up and get ready around 7 am to check the weather to see if I am flying and go over any lesson material I might need. I take the shuttle from campus at 9 am sharp and get to the airport at 9:20. I brief with my instructor about the lesson for the day and express any comments or questions I might have about a particular maneuver or procedure. My instructor will then authorize me to get the keys and I head out preflight one of our Diamond DA20 C1 eclipse trainer aircrafts. After the preflight in done and the airplane is untied, my instructor will hop into the plane and I will start the checklist and procedures to start the plane and taxi out to the runway. Once we are cleared to take off it’s all business from there. We execute every line item on the day’s lesson in 1.4 hobb time window. At the end of it all, I am exhausted and my back hurts. We ramp in, debrief about the things I did well and could improve upon next time, close out the lesson, and I am headed back on campus to attend my next lecture.
11. What is something you would tell someone that wants to become a Cadet Flyer?
Do it. Whether you find out that you love aviation or not, it is one of the best experiences I ever had. The connections and resources that the organization has are very critical to the industry and could lead to a fulfilling career. Even if you do not become a pilot, there are many opportunities in the industry that ATC can help get connected with. But if your aspirations are to be a pilot, then ATC is the right place to be.
12. Describe ATC in one word
Caring. They care about those who have had some affiliation with the organization, old and new. They welcome anyone with open arms and a passion for their mission.