Flying today. Soaring tomorrow

By: Connor Clinkscale

Hello, My name is Connor Clinkscale. I am a student pilot at Centennial Aviation Academy (CAA) in Atlanta, GA. I am twelve years old and have been flying planes for over nine years now. Flying has been my passion and I am taking flight lessons to prepare me for a career in aeronautics and space travel. I would like to take a few moments to elaborate on my background, experience and people that have inspired me on my journey of becoming an aeronautical professional and astronaut.

MY BACKGROUND

No. My dad isn’t a pilot. Neither is my mom. In fact, there isn’t one pilot in my entire family! My interest in aviation and space is all my own. I have been flying planes and collecting real flight training hours with CAA Centennial Aviation Academy (CAA) since I was three and a half years old. My goal is to get my pilot’s license when I turn 16 years old so I can ultimately train to become an astronaut. Flying is not something that many kids my age get to do and it builds my confidence to know that this is preparing me to do great things in the future.

My journey towards becoming a pilot began as my family and I were visiting the James S. McDonnell Hangar at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. While we were exploring the museum exhibits, we came across a hangar that had the space shuttle Discovery inside. I was immediately interested in everything about this space shuttle. I wanted to, and I quote, “fly the space shuttle away and go to space that day”. Even though the United States space shuttle project was shut down in 2013, I still want to be able to fly into space and accomplish my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.

After noticing my interest in becoming an astronaut, my parents made arrangements for me to take flight lessons.

MY EXPERIENCE

In addition to flight training with CAA, there are a few other areas I have trained in to also further equip and prepare me for space travel.

Every summer, I attend a number of space related camps including Space Camp at the Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama and Space Camp at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. I have attended these camps for several years in a row. I have also studied space extensively at school and I have given many presentations to students in other states and countries. I was invited to speak to a class of students in Houston, Texas and I was also invited as a guest lecturer to visit Havana, Cuba. Speaking in Cuba on the topic of space and aeronautics was especially significant because the students are rarely exposed to students their age and younger who have career aspirations like mine. It showed them that anything is possible, and it showed me how fortunate I am to live in a country where I am able to study and pursue a career in aviation and space.

WHO INSPIRES ME?

I now would like to mention a few other people who inspire me to be the person I am today. One of these people is Alyssa Carson. I admire her because she is the only person to have completed all seven of the space camps in the entire world. She also aspires to be an astronaut. She shares her story with the world which allows other kids like me to follow her and to aspire to do many of the exciting things that she does.

Another person I aspire to be like is Charles “Charlie” Bolden. As the former head of NASA and an astronaut, I aspire to be like him because he has gone to space before. I want to be able to travel to space, as well.

Another person I admire is Victor Glover. I was fortunate to meet him on a visit to Texas. I aspire to be like him because, like Charlie Bolden, he is African American, and has spent many years training to make his dreams of traveling to space come true. He is currently on SpaceX’s first operational crew launch!

And recently, I received a special invitation from former NASCAR Race Car Driver, Mike Ciochetti. Mr. Ciochetti invited me to his fly-in community called Heaven’s Landing to meet his friend, Astronaut Winston Scott. It was a dream come true to visit Heaven’s Landing and to spend time learning all about Astronaut Scott’s career path to space travel. He is also African American. Knowing that there are so many astronauts who look like me gives me great hope that I, too, will someday board a spacecraft and explore the great beyond.

IN CONCLUSION

I truly look forward to Flying High and Soaring Tomorrow! My unique background and the many experiences I have been a part of continue to move me closer and closer to my goal every day. As I continue to grow in knowledge, it is my hope to be exposed to even more opportunities to express my interest in space and aeronautics. The people I look up to today will become my peers and trusted advisors on my journey to space in the future. I ultimately will become an astronaut because it is the most exciting career there is for me and it is something that I have strived for ever since I was a toddler. When I reach my goal, I will look back on all of my experiences and share my stories with others who have similar dreams. I will be an approachable role model and a positive example for them.

In closing, I want to let everyone know there are no limits to what we can do. We can fly airlines as children and explore other planets as adults. If we “plan it”, we can do it!