December 5th, 2019
By: Becca Nelson
Flight training is one of the many unique opportunities available at Southern Prep through our signature programs. Several students, here in particular senior Cadet Daniel Tampa, have taken an interest in flight training. The academy has partnered with Brown Aero Flight School of Alex City, AL, to provide our aviation students with an individualized lesson plan designed to get them in the air and operating a plane at their own speed. Our aviation course includes classroom ground curriculum, one on one flight training, FAA written test prep, simulator training scenarios and an introduction to the aviation industry spectrum.
Cadet Tampa started ground school less than 4 months ago, at the start of his senior year. Tampa gives credit to his flight instructors for being able to advance so quickly in the program. His father also encouraged him to get involved with Southern Prep’s aviation program. “I will be able to fly myself in the future,” says Tampa, who has big plans to attend Cornell University next fall to study hospitality management. Cadet Tampa also has his eyes on Auburn University. In the end, he wants to take over his father’s company, and believes earning his pilot’s license while still in high school will set him apart from the rest when it comes to college applications.
Sgt. Jake Norotsky, Aviation Director at Southern Prep, says his students will be ahead of everyone else when it comes to college flight programs. “These guys will be a couple years ahead of everyone else. They will be able to get in commercial pilot seats a lot faster.”
Tampa has had a few more solo flights since his first on December 4th. He also completed his first cross country flight on December 16th, a 2-hour round trip to Tuskegee, Alabama.
