Golden Flashes Take Flight

By: Jacob Burdette

(2020 FMA Solo Program Scholarship Recipient & Kent State Freshman)

Hello everyone! My name is Jacob Burdette and I was one of the Flying Musician Association scholarship recipients of 2020. I am currently a freshman at Kent State University majoring in Aeronautics with a Professional Pilot concentration. In addition, I plan on adding a minor in Unmanned Aircraft Systems. With this minor, I will be able to analyze various aspects of unmanned aerial systems operations, including safety, certification, applications, trends, regulations and performance. Kent State has one of the best aeronautics programs in the country, offering plenty of concentrations like Professional Pilot, Air Traffic Control, and Aviation Management, just to name a few. With all of the classes offered in the College of Aeronautics at Kent State, I will become a very well-rounded pilot because I will have a background in many different aspects of aviation. Kent State has the largest fleet of any collegiate program in Ohio with over 30 planes, in addition to being AABI accredited, a partner school for the Delta Propel program, and having connections with multiple regional and charter airlines, including Endeavor Air and Republic Airways. The location of Kent State has been the perfect place to learn how to fly because it is located near Lake Erie and multiple larger airports that I can fly to and practice various maneuvers. I will get to fly in all types of weather from freezing cold windy days, to calm clear days.

There will be nothing I haven’t experienced weather-wise once I finish my flight training at Kent. All of the professors and flight instructors at Kent want to see you succeed. They will work with you and figure out how you learn best in order to guide you to becoming a prepared, professional, and confident pilot. Kent State has given me the opportunity to explore and learn more about my passion for aviation and flight, while even continuing to perform and make beautiful music.

Being a scholarship recipient for The Flying Musicians Association has provided me with more resources than I could have ever imagined that have really helped throughout my flight training, and I am extremely grateful for everything. In addition to the generous scholarship, high quality flight gear, and the awesome swag, they have provided me with a gigantic support system that have two of the same passions as I do: music and flying. For every blog post I’ve made on their website, I get so much support, words of encouragement, and advice for my private pilot journey and beyond. I know that if I have a question about anything, there is someone in our association that will be able to help me. John Zapp has encouraged me multiple times to reach out to him if I ever need anything, and I know he is genuinely happy to help, along with everyone else in the group. All of the support keeps me motivated and excited to pursue my dreams as a professional pilot.

Once Covid is done, I hope that I will be able to meet some of the awesome members of The Flying Musicians Association, and maybe even perform with them. It has been an honor to be part of this amazing organization and I hope to stay involved throughout my entire flying career, so I can help others as much as they have helped me.

While at Kent State, I made my first solo flight in a Cessna 152 after 16 hours of training. The feeling of accomplishment I felt after this flight was unlike anything else I have ever experienced. When I told my friends and family that I flew a plane by myself, they were all so impressed, and many of them were surprised that you can fly alone so early in your career. To me, this was a big moment in my journey in aviation. Soloing for the first time made me more confident in my abilities of becoming a commercial pilot. Since then, I have had the chance to fly solo multiple other times and the feeling of accomplishment never seems to fade. I get asked if I am scared to fly alone as a student pilot, but my answer is always no. In all of my solo flights, I don’t have time to be nervous because that could cause an accident. I fi nd myself to be more focused because I don’t have my instructor in the right seat to answer questions for me, so I have no choice but to think harder and remain confident in my decisions. Since the beginning of my training, I have been taught how to deal with emergencies like an engine failure in case one were to happen while I was flying, so I am ready to take on any challenge flying may throw at me.

In addition to my flight training, I am so lucky to be continuing my passion for music in Kent State’s Wind Ensemble and Marching Band. I knew that no matter where I went for college, they had to have a music program because music is such a big part of my life. I simply can’t imagine life without it. Because of Covid, Wind Ensemble has not been able to meet. Instead, we are doing small chamber groups. Right now, I am in a brass quintet playing trumpet with four other talented players. Marching band was also very different this year when compared to years past because there were no fans allowed in the stadium, but I was extremely grateful for the chance to perform with the whole band.

Even though my freshman year of college isn’t how it typically should be, I am making the most of it by staying involved in music and joining Alpha Eta Rho, which is the professional flight fraternity.

We were very lucky at Kent State to not only have football, but for the marching band to be able to go to some of the games and perform a socially distanced half-time show. I plan on staying in both the marching band and wind ensemble for all four years I am at Kent, because music never fails to alleviate my stress, allow me to express myself and bring joy to others.

Even though we have not had the chance to do much yet, I am excited knowing that I will be able to make many beneficial connections and even form another support system. I look forward to meeting new people, going on adventures to new airports, and performing not only in the cockpit, but also on the field, and Kent State will allow me to do all of these. Overall, Kent State seems to be the perfect fi t for me, and I can’t wait to see what my next three years have to offer.