The following was excerpted from the 11/25/2024 edition of the Harbor Light Newspaper, written by Beth Ann Piehl of Charlevoix-Emmett Intermediate School District. Link to full article
Peter Tippett: ‘I feel like I got a jump-start in college’
The flight time, experience, training, and connections made in the Aviation Science & Technology program are unparalleled for high school students preparing to embark on their futures in aviation fields.
Peter Tippett was enrolled in the aviation program’s second and third years of operations, 2017-18 and 2018-19, prior to when students were able to log flying hours but still learning invaluable information in “ground school” to propel them toward aviation careers.
A 2020 graduate of Harbor Springs High School, Tippett, now 22, lives in Prescott, Ariz., home of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a preeminent U.S. flight school.
“I always knew when I was a small child that I wanted to be a pilot so when I saw this new class called aviation to be offered, I jumped on it right away,” said Tippett. “At that time, though, all I knew was that I wanted to be a pilot, I had no clue what it took to be a pilot, and that was what the class showed me. Our instructors were people who also worked in the aviation industry, so they were able to give us real-life scenarios which made classes fun and lively. Even after getting this little taste of what it’s like to be a pilot, it cemented that this is what I wanted to do.”
Tippett enrolled at Embry Riddle, where he felt well-prepared to work toward his bachelor’s degree in aviation. “I feel like I got a jump-start because a lot of my freshman year classes went over very similar information that was taught in the aviation course,” he recalled.
Currently, Tippett holds his private pilot’s license and is nearing the end of his instrument rating training. He is also working on his high-performance rating, which is an endorsement that allows someone to act as pilot-in-command of a high-performance airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower.
“After my instrument rating, I plan on continuing to get my commercial license and multi-engine rating. Unfortunately, at the start of my training, I ran into an unknown medical issue which threw a wrench into things. Thankfully, after a few years, I was able to get everything sorted with the FAA and I am moving through the flight training process seamlessly,” he said.
Tippett’s immediate future plans include becoming a CFI (certified flight instructor) or flying for a private jet charter company so he can build hours to meet the minimum to become a commercial airline pilot. “Once I get my minimum hours, I hope to fly for either Delta or American and work my way up to senior captain. After I reach senior captain for a very long-term goal, I plan to also manage a private jet charter company,” he said.
Any Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education program is open to any student, in any Char-Em district! Ask your high school counselor how to enroll. Learn more about the Aviation Science & Technology class and all CTE programs online:
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