Palmer teen soars with CAP

PALMER — Like many 16-year-olds, Chad Speer has his head in the clouds.

When he was just 4 days old, Speer’s mother Pam took him up front on a commercial airplane to snap a photograph with the pilot. They were flying to Alaska, their new home, and she wanted a keepsake.

“Those were the days when you could walk up and see the pilot,” Pam said.

It would be Chad Speer’s first cockpit experience, but not his last.

Speer and his family live in Palmer, spending the summer months in remote areas like Iliamna, where fishing is the family’s bread and butter.

“My dad’s a bush pilot,” Speer said. “I’ve been up with him in his plane more times than I can remember.”

Sitting in the jump seat of his dad’s Piper PA-18 Super Cub, Speer watched and learned, figuring out a few basics along the way. He decided that one day he, too, would learn to fly.

Speer attended an Aviation Career Education camp in Anchorage at the University of Alaska Anchorage two years ago. There he met licensed pilots, which again stimulated his passion for planes. The three-day program, sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration, helped him decide to sign on with the Civil Air Patrol, then stationed in Birchwood, where his training to become a pilot would begin.

“It was an eye-opener,” he said. “You’re kind-of there just checking things out, seeing if you enjoy it. After that, I started out as a CAP cadet.”

As an Airman Basic with other teens his age, Speer learned about becoming a responsible teen and helping others in need.

“I just did what I was told and sat in on some flights the volunteer staff would make,” he said. “My job after promotions was making sure the element was up to standard and to learn how to be a leader.”

Speer said he also gleaned structure from Colony High School’s JROTC program, but prefers the hands-on experience with airplanes he’s had through CAP.

While at the Palmer Municipal Airport performing touch-and-go landings, his flight instructor told Speer to take the helm — solo.

Speer soared around the tiny airport three times, accomplishing two touch-and-go landings and one full stop. It was like tying his shoes.

“I knew what to do,” Speer said. “The hardest part was figuring out how to put on the seat belt. It was neat to make the final decisions in what I did.”

When he landed, the teen was congratulation with open arms by Pam, who watched her 16-year-old son’s first solo flight.

“We’re so proud of him,” she said. “He’s a natural, truly.”

Speer has accumulated more than 30 hours in flight time with CAP, four flying in a Cessna 172, and has earned his student piloting certificate.

Speer said he will continue through the summer building flight time as pilot-in-command with the Minutemen. He’ll also make the flight rounds with his dad while fishing in Iliamna. He has yet to decide if service in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Coast Guard is in his future, but knows piloting will be.

“I’ll be ready for whatever when school’s over,” he said. “For now, who knows?”

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com, or 352-2269.