By Maddy Cooper
It’s his first time flying a training plane.
His view from a few thousand feet will be one that never gets old.
He shows his newly learned skills and lands smoothly.
Then, he throws up all over the runway.
Although his flight six months ago ended with his instructors laughing at him, senior James Root is still an aspiring pilot.
“I was always amazed by airplanes and wanted to learn more about them.” Root says. “It’s a really fun field where you get to travel, meet new people, and get paid while doing so.”
Now, Root feels more prepared for his training flights, compared to his one six months ago.
At the time, he hadn’t realized he was going to have to show his instructors skills while in the air. He thought he would just be doing a leisurely flight.
Right now, Root has his first flying certification, the Student Certificate, but is working toward his Private Pilot’s License.
By having his PPL, Root will be able to fly solo.
To get this license, Root has to have more than 50 hours of flight time, which he gets at the Muncie Regional Airport. Currently, Root has around eight flight hours.
Until he gets his PPL, Root is only able to fly with up to five people in what he calls “good meteorological conditions.”
After obtaining his PPL, Root said he will work toward higher certifications in college.
He plans to attend Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., for a bachelor of science in Aviation Flight Science.
To Root, what stood out at WMU was both their campus and their flight facilities and airport.
He says that because WMU is a smaller school, he will be able to use the airport and fly more often than if he went to a bigger school.
WMU only has around a 50 percent acceptance rate for their flight program, so overall grades and flight experience are important factors for admittance.
By earning his PPL before he goes to college, Root believes he will have a better chance of getting accepted.
Root is heavily involved in school, both in academics and extracurriculars.
With being so heavily involved, Root has had to learn time management.
“[Root] is intellectually, and socially, beyond the high school level,” says Tim Cleland, Root’s tennis coach. “That has helped him manage his time well throughout high school.”
Root is currently the president of the Freshman Mentor program where he oversees the committee that assists freshmen with their transition into high school.
He is a four-year member of the boys’ tennis team and a three-year manager of the girls’ tennis team.
Root has been a math and science Academic Team captain for three years, Delta’s Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy ambassador, and was the founder of the Spanish club.
Root is also the only student at Delta who knows how to utilize the new sound and light system in the auditorium.
This is a new responsibility he has had to step into in the past year.
Root says his exposure to technology throughout his childhood led to his interest in the auditorium.
“I’ve kept the same drive to learn as much as I can to use in my own life, the auditorium being no exception.” Root says. “It was just another piece of tech that I got the ability to learn and play with.”
His interest in technology has also been a driving factor in his dream of becoming a pilot.
After graduating from Western Michigan, Root aims to sign with United Airlines as a commercial pilot.
“I would always be looking to do international flights,” he says. “It sounds like an amazing deal to me.”
This “amazing deal” could include up to a $425 an hour bonus to his salary, plus meals and lodging while abroad.
He also would have the opportunity to explore the country he’s in during the layover.
Root has been abroad quite a bit, whether that’s for seeing family in Canada, England or France, or for yearly family trips to Hawaii.
Being able to fly internationally will give him more opportunities to see the world, and allow him to do what he loves.
But for right now, he’s on the runway to success.
