Sergeant's obsession is 'plane' fun

FAA examiner Arlin Miller, right, presents Staff Sgt. Justin Splain with his private pilot's license, fulfilling the sergeant's long-held dream.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

by Brian S. Orban

As a child, the idea of flying an aircraft fascinated Justin Splain. He spent countess hours watching military aviation movies with his father, an avid World War II history buff.

In time, Splain fueled that obsession through video games that allowed him to take the helm of various military jets or civilian airliners. It just never dawned on him that his love of flying would actually put him in the cockpit of an actual aircraft.

But after months of classroom and hands-on training, the staff sergeant at Mountain Home Air Force Base achieved what at one time seemed an unreachable goal. During an informal ceremony held recently at the Mountain Home Airport, the sergeant was presented his private pilot's license.

A munitions troops with the 366th Equipment Maintenance Squadron at the nearby Air Force base, Splain admits his desire to fly started as a spur-of-moment idea. During a break at work, he did some research on local aviation outlets. It led him to the flight school at the Mountain Home Airport.

The following day, he took a brief orientation flight in a Piper Cherokee aircraft -- a cramped, two-seat propeller-driven trainer. In addition to taxing the aircraft to the runway, his instructor allowed him to take the controls once they reached their cruising altitude.

Splain was immediately hooked.

"It was everything than I had ever expected and more," he said. "I didn't know that I would take to it as well as I did, and everything just clicked; it all made sense."

Two days later, the sergeant was back in the cockpit to start his formal training. Those that know him best were a bit skeptical regarding his ambitions.

"I told my best friend that I wanted to be a pilot," Splain said. "He kind of shrugged it off and laughed at me because I'm notorious for coming up with some off-the-wall ideas or getting into things half heartedly."

His wife, Lora, was equally dubious about his newest "hobby."

"My wife tends to tease me, saying that I always get hooked on something dangerous," he said. When he was younger, for example, he dabbled in skateboarding before he was lured into the motocross sport.

But unlike mainstream sports and hobbies, flight training requires plenty of self-discipline and commitment, the sergeant said. In addition to working from a standardized lesson plan, Splain spent hours of additional time studying at home. It required him to understand everything from aerodynamics and weather observing to aircraft controls and basic flight maneuvers.

However, his biggest challenge involved learning the multitude of federal flight rules and regulations. The book alone is several inches thick, Splain said, using his fingers to illustrate.

Learning to land an aircraft was the next biggest challenge, especially when the wind and weather conditions get a bit dicey, he added.

Unlike most hobbies, learning to fly can get a bit pricey, according to the sergeant. To compensate, he would schedule his training to remain proficient without breaking his wallet.

"As funds provided, I kept going," said Splain, who arrived at Mountain Home Air Force Base in March 2007 as an entry level airman at his first duty station.

To a point, Splain beat the odds in terms of earning his license. While many people start this type of training every year, very few actually go on to earn their private pilot's license.

When he started schooling here, there were at least 10 other students. In fact, it became quite a challenge to arrange flight time among the other students with the schedule filling up fast, he said.

But as time passed, Splain noticed that many of those students had dropped out of the school because they simply lost interest or ran out of money.

But Splain never lost his love to fly. One of his first solo flights to Jackpot, Nev., helped reinforce that desire.

"It was really cool," he said. "I was watching sun go down on my way back home, and it was pretty peaceful up there -- as long as I stayed away from the clouds."

Seven months after his introductory flight early last year, the sergeant had earned his private pilot's license. To date, he has 41 hours in single-engine aircraft, which he admits simply opened the door to bigger and better things.

"You're never done learning," Splain said. "When I finished my check ride, the guy that tested me said, 'Congratulations. You've just earned a license to continue learning.' "

The sergeant is already setting his sights on earning his instrument rating -- considered by some pilots as the hardest certification to earn.

However, that training will end up having to wait a couple of months. In April, Splain and his wife leave Mountain Home for their next duty station in Florida. But he's already selected a flight school near his new base and plans to use his military education benefits to help offset the additional costs.

"I'm all set up to get my instrument rating," he said. "I plan to go all the way to a commercial airline rating."

In addition to his flight schooling, the sergeant's academic plate remains pretty full. He's currently working on a bachelor's degree with plans on pursuing a commission in the Air Force where he can continue his love of flying.

For now he's taking things one step at a time "and we'll see where it goes from there," he said.

Original Source:  http://www.mountainhomenews.com