Question 1 – My name is Spencer and I am a sophomore at Ohio University where I am double majoring in Professional Flight and Aviation Management with minors in Business and Communication. I have around 250 flight hours and have earned my Private Pilot License (PPL), Instrument rating, and commercial rating, along with a complex aircraft endorsement. I am currently studying for the written Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) test. Question 2 – I think being a pilot is the best job in the world. I’ve had an interest in Aviation as long as I recall and decided to become a pilot in high school. When I become a professional pilot, I will be able to do something I love while earning a living. Being able to travel to see places I might not otherwise be able to see, and my passengers might not otherwise be able to see, is truly an unbelievable experience. In addition, I really enjoy making others happy and I enjoy the service aspect as well. Even now, with my Private License, I love taking friends on flights and introducing them to Aviation. I also love helping people at my part time job at a local airport. I enjoy helping them prepare for flights by fueling their aircraft, fielding questions, and getting their aircraft ready for flight. The thought of doing these things is the primary motivation for me pursuing my Aviation Flight and Aviation Management degrees. I continue to push myself because one day I will be able to have the amazing opportunity to have the best job in the world. As far as what I hope to achieve in aviation, I have two overarching goals which are to be successful and happy. In the world of aviation, I plan to find a place where I can meet both goals. I will be following my passion, flying airplanes, and making people happy, while also having the security of a full-time job. I also have a couple operational goals that will assist me in achieving my dream. First, I want to continue being successful in class. After my first semester at Ohio University, I earned a 4.0 GPA and was placed on the President’s List. My second goal is to have my CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) rating during Spring of 2025. I know it is a bit of a stretch for a student to be a CFI during their sophomore year, but I believe that I could come remarkably close to achieving this goal. Because of my hard work in high school, I came into college with my Private Pilot License and around 60 class credit hours. I also work around my designated university flight slot (on weekends, after hours, and school breaks) to stay ahead and gain as many flight hours as possible. These goals will keep me working hard to gain hours and prepare myself to be successful in the work force as a professional pilot. I also hope to give back to the aviation community and advocate for aviation and STEM. Aviation is important to me for a lot of reasons. One, it is my passion. I love learning everything there is to learn from weather to physics. Next, I think aviation provides people around the world goods and services. In addition, aviation is a community invested in each other, in safety, and in helping others. Aviation is also important because of innovation and ingenuity.

My name is Spencer Phelps from Central Ohio! I am currently a sophomore at Ohio University. I have wanted to have a career in the Aviation area since starting high school. I was inspired by many of my family members who always encouraged us to explore STEM. Knowing I had my work cut out for me, I made a plan and worked really hard in high school and took the hardest courses, started pilot training, and participated in many extracurricular activities earning numerous academic and leadership awards. Now that I am attending Ohio University as a Sophomore, I am currently majoring in Aviation Flight and Aviation Management with minors in Business and Communication Studies. I have completed my freshman year, have earned 87 credits, have a 3.912 college GPA, and was named to the Ohio University President’s List for both semesters. I am also a Member of the Marching 110 band which takes about 30 hours a week of practice. My career aspirations are to work in the Aviation industry. I have been working at a local municipal airport / FBO, to gain experience in the aviation business, and I really enjoy working there. I see some of what it takes to run a small airport and I also see the joy it brings to many people. To date, I have completed my Private Pilot License and Instrument Rating. I have around 200 hours of flying time so far including completion of my Advanced Cross Country class and I am currently studying for my Commercial rating. I hope to earn my CFI in early 2025 so I can start teaching as well to earn additional funds I can put towards my flight training. I do want to start my career as a Pilot to help pay off my flight training bills but have interest in other areas of Aviation including maintenance and management as well. I continue to apply for scholarships as a Sophomore because not only am I paying for 4 years of college, I am also simultaneously required to pay for flight training which is another $70,000. I have prepared for this as much as possible by taking as many college classes as I could in high school (earned 54 hours of college credit in high school reducing my double major from 6 years down to 4 years), getting aviation work experience at Fairfield County Airport (currently working my 16th month there) while saving money for college, and working hard for good grades. I’ve earned several academic scholarships which have been a help to me as I started college. Due to the remaining cost of school and flight training, I continue to apply for scholarships to be able to continue through school and to try to avoid as much debt as possible. I am a hard worker, I was and continue to be involved in school activities and extracurriculars, and I like to give back. I spent much of my time in high school volunteering as a community tennis coach. I appreciation any and all consideration for scholarships as I continue to chip away at the costs for my education and flight training. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.