Flight school teaches lessons for life
14-year-old Erica Alamia was a little more than nervous as she climbed into the cockpit of a TigerFlight aircraft at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport this weekend. Before her flight was over, she took the controls for a second and said her first time in the air was an awesome experience.
Alamia was one of about 10 Destiny Independence program teenagers who visited the airport Saturday, got to fly in the vintage aircraft and sat behind the controls of a simulator in the TigerFlight hangar at the airport.
Destiny Independence is a program that works with children in Rome and Floyd County and helps them to find a path to success.
“We start working with them as early as age 8,” said Janice Hadaway, executive director. “We stay with them all the way through high school and help them get into college or trade school and eventually into their first self-supporting adult job.”
Phil “Sunny” Cataldo, one of the lead pilots for the TigerFlight squadron, said he had five volunteer pilots taking the teenagers up. He said their message is the kids are pilots in command of their own life.
“If you look up the FAA regulations, that’s where it comes from. As a pilot in command of an aircraft you’re responsible for everybody in the aircraft, the aircraft and everybody on the ground,” Cataldo said. “We relate this to life. To get to Point B, you have to have the right equipment, which is an education. You have to have the right fuel, which is attitude and belief in yourself, and you have to have a path, which is your plan to get there.”
Saturday’s field trip was designed to help the students learn about the principles of having a goal and dreaming and then applying action to those goals that can yield positive results.
Hadaway said the kids got a chance to hear inspirational words from several of the TigerFlight pilots during the program.
Alamia said once she got in the air it was a lot of fun. She said at first she was scared when her pilot dipped his wings and banked the aircraft in a turn, but recovered quickly and was thrilled when the pilot offered the middle schooler a chance to take the stick.
Cataldo said the pilots provide everything themselves, from their time to fuel cost. Any donations to the squadron are used for its character development programs such as the day with the Destiny Independence kids. He said they are in particular need of volunteers who can help with their website and people with experience shooting videos to assist with their YouTube channel.
People can contact TigerFlight at Russell Airport at 706-295-7900.