Liam Sullivan

Flying an airplane is one of the best experiences one can have. I have been fortunate enough to fly regularly since late summer in 2016. In the past I’d gone to an aviation summer camp and taken a few free flights in general aviation aircraft. To me, the idea of becoming a pilot was mystifying, but the year after my Young Eagles flight, this idea became a reality.

I first heard about the Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program last summer in one of the local newspapers. When I applied, I didn’t think that I’d be accepted. Luckily, I was accepted and became one of the six students of the 2016 WASP class. The scholarship winners receive a complete ground school and expert flight training from the Williamsburg Flight Center. Since it began, I’ve accumulated ten flight hours training in one of the flight school’s Cessna 172s.

WASP also provides each student with a mentor to assist with their training. All the mentors are volunteers and are not paid for their contribution, so it proves their dedication to aviation. My mentor is kind enough to fly with me in his personal airplane, a Grumman AA5. Learning to fly is fairly difficult because one has to master many theories and principles, but a mentor is an immense help and can help make it simpler.

Flying professionally is my end goal. It is a career that pays well, but is also enjoyable at the same time. Specifically, I want to possibly fly in an airline or the charter service. I plan to do this by continuing to progress by acquiring a commercial and ATP license, as well as multi-engine, instrument, and other ratings. WASP has been a great beginning step to a wonderful life of aviation.