My name is Collin Woolley. I’m from New Carlisle OH. I got my PPL in December of 2019.
I was in school and working trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
I fell in love with aviation at such a young age my dad and I were really big into RC airplanes, cars, trucks and most recently drones but when I was growing up my dad talked about how cool it was to go up and fly around and how freeing that would be. He always looked at me and said “I wish I got my license.”
Honestly I didn’t think I could do it. I wasn’t great at test taking in school so I thought once I got to the “final exam” I’d fail.
Money, it was and is super expensive everywhere we looked and we got quoted from other schools that it would be substantially more money than Golden Eagle Aviation .
I thought about going to the local community college but I wasn’t a very good student with the strict structure so I talked to Mike and he told me to do a flight with one of his instructors and then I was set.
Definitely nerve-racking but exciting at the same time I knew from the moment those wheels left the ground I wanted to get my license.
Fantastic. They really care about where you’re at in your training. If you ever have to stop for a few weeks they don’t just start where you left off they’ll take their time and review with you which was really helpful.
Maintaining my heading and altitude at the same time. I overcame those obstacles by just lightening my grip on the controls and just breathing. Knowing the plane won’t just fall out of the sky or turn where you don’t want it to go really helps.
It was at my own pace which was really nice. I could study certain things longer if I didn’t understand them fully.
The Cessna 172 was like learning how to drive in a golf cart. The Piper Arrow was like trying to drive a manual car for the first time. New buttons, new knobs, a lot more hands on flying. Both were fantastic aircraft’s.
Being more relaxed in the cockpit goes a long way. There’s no one there to catch your mistakes anymore so you have to be on your game 100% of the time.
Skills/habits I’d say being confident enough to take your friends and family flying and getting them back on the ground is a major skill but respecting the machine at the same time is a true skill and a habit I take to multiple aspects of my life.
I am very confident now as a pilot. I was scared of what may happen when I first started out.
It’s given me a lot more confidence in everyday life for sure.
Absolutely I have created/made so many amazing memories at 3,000 feet I have met so many amazing people flying it has truly changed my life.
So many, faster transportation to some amazing vacations. When I’m away it’s given me the opportunity to get back to my family faster.
My first solo I buttered the landing.
Amazingly, I couldn’t have been happier with myself. It’s a feeling you don’t experience everyday.
Being a pilot means you can truly accomplish anything. Humans weren’t supposed to fly but somehow we do every single day. Achieve those goals and take flight, it is truly worth it.
Everyone. Everyone at Golden Eagle is so welcoming and helpful. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to help me through the highs and lows of training.
Go take a flight, do some touch and go fly over your house. Then make your decision on if you want to start or not.
My experience was life changing.
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