I grew up in a high control religious cult called the Twelve Tribes. Flying was never an option I thought would be available to me, though from a young age I knew I was supposed to fly. I studied airplanes intensively, every chance I got, even though by the rules of the cult it wasn't allowed. Naturally, when my family finally escaped the cult, I quickly found my way into the sky through the EAAs Young Eagle program. The pilot I flew with that day ended up becoming my instructor and I put everything I had into becoming a pilot. Every bit of money I could spare went into what was, even at that time, an expensive venture. I got my solo pilots certificate at 16 flying a Cessna 150 before I even had a drivers license. I was feeling amazing. The local EAA chapter sponsored me to go to AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin when I was 17. They even allowed me to work off some of the plane rental costs by cleaning the aircraft. These incredible gifts were all given on one promise only, that wouldn't quit flying.
But we had just left a cult. Money was tight as a family, and my meager farm jobs couldn't keep up with the demands of weekly lessons. Just a few hours short of completing my training, I ran out of money. Life got hectic from there. I had a car to pay for. I started my own construction business. Every penny I made just went to making sure I could keep the business going and paying the bills. Since then I've welcomed three beautiful daughters into the world, spent my every waking minute ensuring they have everything they need, and that my business continues to run.
When I saw my middle daughter's eyes light up at the sight of an airplane flying over, it all came flooding back. I showed her my flying days, I remembered the feeling of accomplishment, the feeling that flying is what I was born to do. I wanted more than anything to finish that thing I'd started all those years ago, realized with a bit of sadness that it's been almost a full decade since I flew last. I wanted to get that license and be able to take my daughter flying. I reached back out to the local EAA chapter and was put in contact with a new instructor. We went flying that week and it was everything I remembered it being. I was back to feeling like maybe I could get it done. Until I got the bill. Needless to say, flight school, like everything else, has more than doubled in cost. Also, given the amount of time that has passed, most of my hours accumulated in my first round of training will need to be reflown. I'm a proud guy, I don't like asking for help. But I've given life everything I have so far, making something of myself from not having much of anything. My life started over at 15, fresh out of a cult. Dumped into a world I knew nothing of. But I found my thing. I found flying. And i had to put ut aside for 9 years to make my way. I can't let another day go by without trying everything I can to get back into the sky. I'm not sure exactly how much it will take. My eventual goal would be to push through to a commercial pilots license and have the potential for a different and more exciting career path. I will definitely still be working hard and putting up as much of my own money as possible to make this happen. But a friend told me it was worth a shot to throw this out there. Thank you in advance!
Emmet
