LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Shirley Martin Powered Flight Academy is attracting students from all over the U.S.\u2014from Texas to California to North Carolina.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a cadet from Houston, Texas\u2026 I\u2019m from Dallas\u2026 I\u2019m a cadet from San Diego\u2026 I\u2019m a cadet from Lubbock\u2026 I\u2019m a cadet from North Carolina\u2026 I\u2019m a cadet from Colorado and I\u2019m really enjoying the flight academy,\u201d cadets said.<\/p>\n
The academy trains cadets in essential flight maneuvers, including straight-and-level flying, precision takeoffs, and emergency procedures.<\/p>\n
Cadet Albert \u201cSwaby\u201d Wyatt said attention to detail starts on the ground\u2014before the aircraft ever leaves the runway.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to make sure you know fire extinguishers in the green, carpet\u2019s cold, things like that. And then once you do your run up, which you\u2019re making sure your power systems are good and your engine can actually get up to speed,\u201d Wyatt said.<\/p>\n
Wyatt said the Civil Air Patrol program can be demanding because of the volume of tests and training, but he believes the hard work pays off\u2014especially when cadets earn the chance to fly solo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first few months is a little bit of work with tests and drill tests and leadership tests and aerospace tests and your orientation rides and things like that. But once you get that stuff out of the way, it really comes a little bit smoother,\u201d Wyatt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese students at the National Flight Academy aren\u2019t just learning about aviation with the Civil Air Patrol\u2014they\u2019re living it,\u201d a cadet said during training.<\/p>\n
For Wyatt, flying solo was a milestone he won\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really a peaceful experience, and I actually was able to calm down enough to think, wow, I\u2019m actually flying an airplane by myself. It was probably the greatest feeling in the world that I\u2019ve had up to this point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not every cadet starts out with the same confidence. Cadet Maximus Ibram said self-doubt crept in at times\u2014especially in a new environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of was doubting myself a little bit because I thought like, wow, because this is a bigger airport. It\u2019s a little bigger than where we\u2019ve done some practice. So I was like, oh, I don\u2019t know if I can,\u201d Ibram said. \u201cBut him having confidence in me and some of the other pilots having confidence in me, it really made me sure that I was able to do good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana Gray, a lieutenant colonel who has volunteered with the program for 30 years, said the goal is giving cadets opportunities they might not otherwise have.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat we\u2019re giving them opportunities that some may not have,\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n
Wyatt said he hopes future cadets see the academy as a chance worth committing to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great program. I definitely highly recommend it. Once you join, commit to it. It\u2019s a great program. I committed to it when I was 14 and it has changed my life dramatically,\u201d Wyatt said.<\/p>\n
The cadets are set to graduate Saturday.<\/p>\n
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