Kyle, a 23-year-old Rowan University graduate with an undergraduate degree in Business Management, has been enrolled in Alpha Aviation’s commercial pilot training program for approximately two years. He is focused on becoming a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).
According to Kyle, “I’ve always wanted to be a pilot since I was young, but I really got inspired when I took a trip to Korea and it was a really long flight. That was the first time I’ve been on a long flight like that, and I really enjoyed it.” Kyle’s desire to become a pilot set in during that 14-hour flight, which occurred in the summer of 2014 when he was only 13.
In 2022, Kyle chose Alpha Aviation, Inc. as his pilot training school after meeting Alpha Aviation Founder and CEO Kelvin King. According to Kyle, Kelvin treats members of the company like family.
Starting off in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Kyle took flight for the very first time on April 20, 2022, accompanied by CFI. Less than a year later Kyle took his first solo flight on January 29, 2023. “My first solo flight was a little nerve-wracking. I knew I was ready, but when I got there by myself in a cockpit and there was no one else to rely on, it started getting a little scarier.” He took a beat to smile at his accomplishment, “But I successfully completed the flight. It was truly a great time.”
Looking back, he recalls the people closest to him were very excited. “They really supported me fully and after my first solo…that’s when they realized, it’s very real. Because they were there, they showed up and they saw me take off by myself and land by myself.” As for his friends, “They always say it’s one of the coolest jobs, although none of them really want to be a pilot. They always looked at it as a really cool job and it gave me respect.”
Kyle reminisced on some of his favorite flight school moments. “My most memorable experience was when I was flying with CFI Jeremy Moore. He took me on my first night flight and that’s what really solidified being a pilot. For me, flying at night was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.” He went on to say that he most enjoys the freedom of being in the sky. “Once you’re able to earn a private pilot’s license, you can pretty much go anywhere you want to. Also, there’s a lot of things you can do with being able to travel the world.”
So you want to be a pilot?
Being a pilot is not for the faint of heart. This aspiring CFI, who now favors the Piper Cherokee, believes it takes time, dedication, and effort. When asked about the stress that comes with being in control of a plane, Kyle said, “I credit my CFI for being able to teach me how to manage the cockpit and also to be able to talk. So, it’s not as hard as it may seem once you’ve been doing it for a while, especially with good CFIs like the ones I have.”
There were a few challenges, but the most impactful one was ground school. “The Flying will come over time. You will have multiple hours to fly and it’ll just come over time. You’ll be able to get better and better studying for ground school. There’s a lot of information to take in, so that was probably the hardest part for me.”
Kyle’s lessons and advice
He offered this advice for new pilots learning the craft for the first time. “Just to go for it! There’s a lot of people who want to be pilots, but they don’t know if they really want to go through the whole process. So, I would just tell them…go for it.” One more tip he shares for incoming pilots is, “You have to be willing to learn. If you’re not willing to learn, then you will not go far as a pilot. You have to be able to be calm under pressure because there’s a lot of pressure in the air, There’s a lot of people to talk to and make sure you’re doing everything right, lot of rules to follow. Just definitely be calm and ready to learn.”
To wrap up our talk with Student Pilot Kyle Chandler, we asked him where he wants to take his Alpha Aviation education. He said, “There’s a lot of routes you can take. Originally, I wanted to go to airlines, and I still think that’s a possibility for me. But I also recently heard about contracting pilots. And contracting pilots, basically, they’re almost like the Uber in the air. You can call them up and they’ll be able to fly you where you want to go.”
And finally, we asked Kyle, what he would tell his younger self after coming so far and he responded with a slight smirk, “I would tell my younger self that, there’s a lot of growth that you need to go through, but as long as you’re willing to do it, you’ll be successful.”
The author, Sydney Chandler, is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Kyle’s sister.