Flying planes might seem like a daunting task, yet many students from the class of 2024 are gearing up for the challenge. Whether it be a direct route or a four-year journey with multiple stops, seniors Jack Brewer, Rocco Behm and Micheal Liebrenz will be beginning their education in aviation and piloting careers in the fall.
For Behm, being a pilot was something he had always aspired to be.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and I’ve always been interested in airplanes,” Behm said. “I like learning about aviation and transportation in general. I’m what I would call an aviation geek.
On the other hand, Brewer’s passion for aviation came upon him rather abruptly, as “it just hit me one day that I wanted to go on to aviation,” he said.
Liebrenz’s passion for piloting came from the positive outlook she had gained after reading headlines of pilot shortages.
“Commercial airline companies took away the need to have a degree because they want more pilots,” Liebrenz said. “It’s [a] guaranteed job.”
While Brewer and Liebrenz have chosen to go to universities to pursue degrees leading to a piloting career, Behm has decided to take a more direct approach through Kilo Charlie Aviation School in Gardner, Kansas.
“I chose it because the opportunities they offer after you’ve completed the program are really good,” he said. “It’s faster going the direct path. Your first day at the flight school, you’re in an airplane.”
Additionally, Behm looks forward to flight school because he considers it to be much more straight-forward than a traditional degree path.
“Most [colleges] I’ve looked at are four years, and [I’d] still have to get through those prerequisite classes and learn things [I] won’t even need to fly,” he said. “It’ll definitely be different than college [and] different than anything I’ve ever expected. I’m excited because it’s something I’m interested in, and it’s not something I’m being forced to do — it’s my own choice to go into it.”
Getting a degree from a college with the right environment was a significant factor for Brewer, which fueled his decision to attend the Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus.
“It [offers] in-state tuition, and it’s close to home — I’ve heard really good things about the institute,” Brewer said. “There’s only about 1,000 students on campus. It’s
more one-on-one interactions with students.”
On the other hand, Liebrenz has her sights set further, as she plans
to attend Purdue University for the aeronautical engineering program.
“I’m interested in planes, and it’s the closest to aviation,” she said. “It’s a top engineering program, [so it will] probably be hard — it’s going to be a lot of math and physics. I hear it’s one of the harder engineering schools.”
Each future pilot may be reaching their goals in different ways, but they all have a very similar end goal in mind: commercial airline piloting.
“When going into aviation, you actually start with private planes and then you build [partnerships] with regional airlines,” Brewer said. “That’s something [I’d like to] do — then build my way up to one of the bigger airlines.”
Piloting a commercial airplane comes with the chance for travel experiences, exploring new cultures and building connections, which each future pilot plans to take full advantage of.
“It’s definitely exciting, and I’m definitely nervous,” Brewer said. “It’s [all about] building trust in yourself because planes can be a little scary at first. There’s definitely
some challenges along the way.”
Despite any setbacks these future pilots might face, Liebrenz points out that the risk will surely be worth the reward.
“While being a pilot has its challenges I would say it’s worth it in the end,” she said. “It opens doors for many opportunities, and with one of them being able to travel frequently, I’m excited for what my future entails.”
