Palmer student gets chance to "Be a Pilot"

A Palmer High School student will be taking to the skies over his hometown, after being named the winner in Mustang Air's "Be A Pilot" program."

After an essay and interview process, Jon Leiner was selected as Mustang Air's winner. Leiner will receive all the necessary training to receive his private pilot license.

The following is Leiner's essay to Mustang Air:

Ever since I was a child, flying has piqued my curiosity. If anything I saw or heard had something to do with flying, my attention was focused on it immediately. And every time I heard the resonant buzz of a small plane or the hum of a jet, my eyes would dart upward so I could trace it across the sky.

It is very difficult to describe this attraction I have to flight. The only reason people often see for flying is that it is a faster way to get around. To me, that is only a spinoff of flight. The real reason to fly for me is the feeling that I get when I'm careening across the sky in a small airplane, and the world is a majestic panorama that I can explore freely. It is only then that I can remember the times when I was on the ground looking up at planes and think how glad I am to be looking down at the rest of the earth, confined by gravity.

I can remember clearly just about all the times that I have been flying. The first time I got a chance to start learning how to fly was with my uncle John Hartke, who is an Air Force pilot, in his plane in New Mexico. He introduced me to the basics and showed me some of the awesome sites around there from above. I also took a cross-country flight with my uncle from his home in Ohio to my aunt's home in Virginia. One of my most memorable flights was a recent one that I went on with Darrell Jelle, who lives here in Palmer. The reason I liked it so much was because I got to see the entire local area that I have lived in all my life from the air. I also had the opportunity to take ground school at Mat-Su College during the fall.

I really enjoyed learning the knowledge necessary to be a pilot, but it also made me realize that I have so much more to learn about flying. All of these experiences have deepened my passion for flying and I am eager to earn my pilot's license and continue flying throughout my life.