WEST LIBERTY- Last spring, West Liberty University, in collaboration with Marshall University, announced that they would be adding a new major to the roster of available majors known as the Aviation or “Commercial Pilot: Fixed Wing” program.
In celebration of the program’s first ever midterms being completed, I sat down with Gretchen House, a freshman Aviation major, to ask the questions we’ve all been dying to know: what is it like to major in the Aviation program?
Q: What made you want to go into Aviation?
A: I originally wanted to do mission work, and my mom had recommended going into a degree with a little more job applications. So, I landed on Aviation so that I could fly planes on mission trips and still have a lot of job opportunities. I just liked the idea of it; it seemed so exciting. I grew up in my church back home and had just always wanted to go on a mission trip. I like the idea of being able to help people.
Q: What would you say is the best part about being in Aviation?
The best part is definitely the flying, especially around here. I’m from Missouri, so it’s definitely different here; the weather, the terrain. Being able to be up there and see everything is just really enjoyable. It just feels right when you’re flying.
It’s definitely scary; especially when you get used to flying the jets. It’s very smooth, so any turbulence is felt a lot more and it’s definitely nerve racking being in the air. Though, it helps to have an instructor join you the first time you fly.
Q: What does the process leading up to flying look like?
A: They kind of ease you into it. They do it in stages, so there’s two parts. There is the “Ground Course,” which is basically where you learn everything on the ground, like the weather and general mechanics of flying. It kind of mirrors most science classes where you have the class and the lab, but instead of a lab, it’s flying.
They have large exams about every month or so that’s comprehensive. They are called “Stage Exams,” which goes over everything we learn in the Ground Course. The first one was in September, and you had to pass that exam with an 80% or above. And then after that, they put you in a simulator to simulate your first few flights. We started flying right around midterms, and now we’ve all been in the air at least once.
Q: What is the hardest part of Aviation?
A: The hardest part is definitely the amount of knowledge you have to learn. I went in with no prior flight experience. Some people come in with flight experience. I did not. It’s like learning a new language; just a very different world and you don’t really realize the extreme amount of knowledge that goes into it. It’s just hard to swallow your pride and be like “I don’t know these things.” It helps that the professor is very young, so you don’t feel as intimidated asking him questions.
It being a smaller program, it’s easier to get to know the people around you, so we ask each other for help and we ask him, the professor, for help a lot. You just have to be prepared to be overwhelmed for the first couple of months. Everybody starts on the same foot, even those who have prior experience. We go through the same ground courses and practical parts. It’s just really rough sometimes because there will be times where others will already know things that you don’t. You catch up quickly. You just have to
be prepared to not know what’s going on for a little longer.”
Q: What would you say to those who may want to go into Aviation?
A: It is a difficult major, but it is also extremely rewarding. If you really want to do it, it’s worth it. Use your thinking as a weapon. It will be really hard if you tell yourself, “you can’t do it, it just won’t ever work.” But, if you use your thoughts and go “this is really
rewarding, I just can’t wait to fly,” you can do it. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, stick with it. It will be really rewarding looking back after a couple of months and realizing just how much you have learned.
