I always Thought I could Be A Pilot

By Shalyn C. Marchetti

I always thought I could be a pilot. Flying has been in my family for three generations now, working on a fourth. My mother and father, grandmother and grandfather, sister, and brother-in-law are all pilots. I had plenty of positive role models when it came to aviation. However, until I hit 18, I had very little interest. I would be lying if I said flying didn’t scare me a little. I’m not 100% sure why 18 changed that in me, but suddenly it went from something I thought to something I knew. Flying didn’t come easily at first; it does for very few people. But, it grew into something I could manage, then something I could easily control.

Nonetheless, my first solo was nothing shy of terrifying. I had known it was coming; but still, when the instructor got out of the Cub, I’m sure my face went white. Les, my instructor, turned back to me and said these words which I will never forget, “Some people believe that if God intended us to fly, he would have given us wings. I think they’re wrong. If God had intended us to stay on the ground, He would have given us roots, and I don’t see any. Go have fun.” As a flight instructor myself now, those words are passed on to all of my students before their first solo. As he walked away and signaled me to go, I somehow managed the courage to push the throttle forward. Next thing I knew, the plane was airborne! In downwind, I like to joke that I had a minor panic attack. The realization that me, and only me, was going to bring this plane down (and in one piece lest my father murder me) was terrifying. But, I survived. And, in October of the next year, I was calling my dad with happy tears, letting him know he had another pilot in the family.

Over the next year, I tried to figure out what to do with my life. I finished an Associate of Arts degree at the local community college, and I was working as a “rampie” at the local airport, loading bags for a very small regional airline named Cape Air. Working for Cape Air as a rampie was one of the best jobs I could have had. Many of the pilots I worked with took me under their wing, and I learned a lot from them. I spent about a year at Cape Air before one of the pilots told me to go do something about my ratings.

Barely a month later, June 2015, I was packing my bags and moving to St. Louis to start training with Airline Transport Professionals, or ATP Flight school, as it is most commonly known.

The next eight months were a blur of studying, flying, taking checkrides, studying, flying, taking more checkrides, and well, you get the idea. I was fortunate enough to have several wonderful instructors, such as Caitrin, Ashley, and John. ATP was a wonderful school for me. And, while I know others have had varied experiences, the fast pace and the rigid curriculum allowed me to finish in November 2015 (yes, same year), as a CFI, CFII, and MEI. Soon I was off to Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin instructing, which is how I met my now husband, Alex.

After six months flight instructing and a few close calls (instructing can be dangerous), I was on to the next big thing. In this case, the next big thing was a King Air 200. In a flying career, one often hears the words “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” This isn’t entirely truthful, but also not entirely untruthful. While I was a commercial multi-engine pilot, my job as a King Air pilot was in part due to the fact that my private pilot instructor was the grandpa of the company’s chief pilot. So to any young wanna-be pilots out there, be nice to everyone. You never know when it will pay off.

As of now, Alex and I are living in Scottsdale, Arizona, both working as instructors. We are trying to build hours while passing on our knowledge to our “kids”, as instructors often refer to their students. To me, there is very little more rewarding than watching my students succeed. When I send my students up on their first solo, I can easily shed a few tears out of happiness.

As someone who is still young in their career, I’m still trying to figure out what’s next from here. The airlines are the logical next step. However, sometimes there is more to it. A deep part of me would love nothing more than to be an aerial firefighter. But, aviation has a peculiar way of pointing you towards where you need to go, and I’m sure I’ll figure out what’s next over time.

For anyone even a little interested in flying, take an intro flight. See if it’s for you, and then go from there. Even if being a pilot ISN’T for you, I would still recommend a career in aviation. There are plenty of options for those interested in aviation from a non-pilot standpoint, such as ATC, being a rampie, flight attendant, and more.

Flying for me started as an obligation, then a fear, and now, nothing shy of a great love. I cannot imagine my life without aviation. The people you meet and the places you go are nothing short of spectacular. It’s the greatest adventure.