My Grandfather

MY GRANDFATHER MY GRANDFATHER by Ava Shelly

My grandfather, John Shelly, was the first person to introduce me to flying. He was only twenty years old when he received his private pilot’s license and flew for forty years after that. He was an ATP rated SEL, MEL, SES, MES, CFI, CFII, Glider and ANP pilot with over 30,000 hours of logged flight time. When he was in his late sixties, he began a runway project in North Carolina for space launch vehicles. This required intense communication and authorization from the FAA. Flying has always been a big part of his life and his passion. Last summer, he requested a copy of all of his FAA licenses and gave them to me as motivation. When I was eight, he was already teaching me how to read aeronautical charts and maps, Morse Code, and the phonetic alphabet. My tenth birthday present from him was a discovery flight at the local flight school. Ever since we took off, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Sadly, he died from congestive heart failure last September. He is remembered by a very large and loving family in St. Louis.

The Christmas before he passed, we took a family trip to St. Louis. My father surprised me with a flight lesson at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, the same place my Grandfather learned to fly. It was very special to have him with me as we flew around the St. Louis Arch, Busch Stadium, and the neighborhood he grew up in. When I fly now I feel him there with me. It is like he is still in the passenger seat, beside me, helping me learn. We had a very special bond and similar qualities, ambition, bravery, kindness, and a mutual love for adventure, and always up for a challenge. My Grandfather helped me become who I am today with the support of my loving family. He meant the world to me and he changed my mindset about overcoming obstacles and failure. He is the main reason I am who I am today. He has inspired me to be fearless. With hard work and dedication, I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. My Grandfather always made me feel confident about any decisions I made, just like my parents do now. I know he is looking down on me, seeing my progress, and helping clear the stormy clouds out of my way.