My name is Beau Bowden. I am from Troy Ohio, just 20 minutes south of KSCA.
I started flight training Immediately out of high school, prior to flight training I was playing sports and driving for doordash.
I’ve known that I wanted to be a pilot since I was about 5 years old, and with my dad being a pilot I have been around airplanes since a very young age. I grew up begging to go to the Air Force Museum every chance I got. For me, the main driving factor behind becoming a pilot is that I want to do a job that doesn’t feel like work.
My main concern before starting flight training was the intense cost.
The cost would have been the main factor that would have made me hesitant about enrolling, but I can’t say anything was going to stop me from enrolling to be completely honest.
I did consider other flight schools. The reason I chose Golden Eagle at the time was the two year degree program Edison State was offering at the time.
My first flight with Golden Eagle was a discovery flight, and I was immediately hooked. The flight was incredibly fun, and got me very excited to pursue my dreams in aviation.
I had two instructors during my training at Golden Eagle, and I can honestly say both were Incredible. Jared Rodheffer, (my first CFI) was incredibly good about emphasizing safety and the seriousness of flight training, while also making flight training incredibly fun. My second Instructor (Grant Duncan) helped me finish up my Instrument Rating. Grant was incredible about letting me learn through real world experience, and my Instrument cross country flights with him were some of the most fun times I’ve had flying.
My biggest hurdle in training was initially learning landings. I overcame it through practice and focus. The key is to not panic, just take a deep breath and understand that adversity is inevitable in training, but with patience anyone can overcome it.
The structure of Golden Eagle helped me gain real world experience, and built a solid background for future ratings in my training.
The Cessna 172 has a very safe feel, and it is an extremely forgiving aircraft. Learning to fly with 6 pack instruments built a skill base for future ratings.
After receiving my PPL and Instrument rating I became a confident pilot. After receiving my instrument rating, I really felt like I could fly anywhere and be safe and competent as a Pilot.
I developed critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to remain calm in very stressful environments. This not only had an effect on my training, but also on my everyday life.
I feel infinitely more confident as a Pilot now as compared to when I started. Now I would fly an airplane across the country without hesitation, as compared to before where I was nervous to even fly in the traffic pattern by myself.
Flight training has had an incredible impact on my future plans, because my end goal is to be an airline pilot.
The training was 100% worth the investment for me. It is not a cheap investment, but it is an incredibly valuable one.
After completing private and instrument at Golden Eagle I moved to Arizona and completed my commercial rating as well as my CFI Rating. I am currently working on my CFII rating.
My proudest moment was when I passed my CFI checkride.
The first time I flew solo was my first major milestone. The feeling is almost unexplainable, but I would describe it as the world’s best confidence boost.
Becoming a pilot is something I’ve always wanted to do, so it is like the fulfillment of a dream.
I would recommend Golden Eagle to anyone with a desire to fly. The way Golden Eagle is structured allows for flexible scheduling if you want to work while flying. I worked while working on my PPL and Instrument rating, which allowed me to pay my way through portions of training.
To someone who is on the fence about starting flight training, I would say, do it now, there is plenty of opportunity, and it is an incredibly fulfilling endeavor.
My experience with Golden Eagle was extremely positive and fulfilling, while overcoming the inherent challenges of flight training.
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