Trace Weisenburger congratulates his son Sam after received his private pilot's license.
SEELEY LAKE - Sam Weisenburger, 17, joined the ranks of his piloting heritage by obtaining his private pilot's license this May. By doing so, he moves a step closer to his goal of attending the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Becoming a pilot wasn't always one of Sam's goals. Sam would tag along while his older brother Adam was training to become a pilot and he would often become nauseous. The more time he spent around pilots, the more the career began to intrigue him and the nausea went away.
"It had always been in the back of my head," said Sam. "As I went on I realized the value in it."
In January 2018, Sam began training for his private pilot's license under the instruction of his father Trace Weisenburger. Trace is a graduate of the USAFA, a Captain with Alaska Airlines, and previously instructed Sam's older brother Adam. Sam estimates that his father has more than 20,000 hours of flight time.
"I started as early as I could and the minute I turned 16 [years-old] I was putting in the hours," said Sam. A potential pilot must be at least 16 years old to obtain their student license.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires 40 hours of flight time as well as 10 hours of solo flight time to secure a private pilot's license. Candidates must also complete a cross country trip at least 150 miles long with 50 miles between three airports with one airport having a controlled airspace. In addition, the pilot must also complete three hours of night flying with ten take offs and landings, as well as three hours where the pilot flies using only instruments.
Candidates for a private pilot's license must also pass a series of physical, oral, practical and written tests in order to earn their wings. By the time Sam took his practical test he had logged over 100 hours in the cockpit.
"There's a practical and a written driver's test, so it's like that, but with an airplane," said Sam modestly with a laugh.
The written test consists of 60 questions, which are randomly selected from a bank of 1,200 questions. As his instructor, Trace encouraged Sam to study all 1,200 possible questions to be as prepared as possible. According to Sam, he passed the written test with a 95 percent.
As a junior at Seeley-Swan High School, it was difficult for Sam to find time to train around his school schedule and extracurricular activities. He is a 4.0 student and recently scored 34 out of 36 score on his ACTs. During the school year he competes as a competitive shooter with the Hellgate Civilian Shooters team. This year, Sam took the state title in Smallbore Indoor Rifle. His busy schedule lead him to do most of his pilot's training in the summer.
By adding a private pilot's license to his resume, Sam has his sights set on attending the USAFA in Colorado Springs, Colo. He hopes that having a private license will help set him apart from other applicants.
The application process at the USAFA is very selective, according to the Princeton Review, a college-prep resource. Only about 11 percent of applicants are accepted into the academy. Over 73 percent of those accepted have a high school grade point average over a 3.75 on a 4.0 scale. If accepted to the USAFA, Sam hopes to be a member of the precision flying team. Trace was on the shooting team when he attended the academy.
Beyond his goals with the Air Force, Sam enjoys the new perspective flying has given him and isn't certain what the future holds for him. He hopes to fly into the Bob Marshall one day.
"For now, I know that I want to be a pilot, I know that I can find a career that pays well and I enjoy it," said Sam.
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