After a year of delay caused by the pandemic, five students of the Able Flight “Class of 2021” arrived at Purdue University on May 22, and by the next day, most were in the air for their first lesson.
Attending training at Purdue are David Snypes, Jr, Peyton Wolter, Sheila Xu, T’angelo Magee, and Michael Price. Each student is paired with an instructor dedicated to them, and instructors for 2021 include Zach Hill (Lead Instructor), Nicolas Kass, Colleen Finnell, Steven Stoyko and Aaron Wall. Also assisting is Lucero Duran who has been a key volunteer instructor for more than five years.
Shortly after meeting their instructors, the new student pilots attended orientation, covering topics such as safety practices, communications, aircraft fueling, and for those who use wheelchairs, how to transfer from chair to plane.
Strong health safety protocols are being adhered to both at the airport and in the dorm housing the students, and almost all students and instructors have been fully vaccinated.
By the end of their first ten days, as a group this year’s class had already logged over 71 hours in the air, and as least as many hours of ground instruction, and they are well on their way to first solos.