Friday, December 14, 2012

Cyndy Hollman finds Greenville great fit for job as flight instructor

Cyndy Hollman is chief flight instructor at Airwolf Aviation. 
/ Donna Isbell Walker/Staff

Cyndy Hollman grew up thinking she would become a dentist, and she majored in biology at College of Charleston. 

 But then, says Hollman, “aviation really found me.”

Hollman, who moved to Greenville five months ago, is chief flight instructor for Airwolf Aviation, teaching students from age 10 to 80-plus.

She’s flown as a commercial pilot, too, but it all started at the fast-food restaurant where she worked during college. Instructors from the flight school on Johns Island were regular customers at the restaurant, and Hollman got to know them.

“One guy asked me if I wanted to go flying, and I said, ‘Sure,’ ” Hollman recalls. “I had no idea what type of airplane we were going in or anything, and he took me in a little two-seater Cessna, and I loved it. I thought it was the coolest thing. And he came back a couple days later with a log book, with my first lesson in there, and he said, ‘I think you should pursue this.’ ”

Hollman got a job at the Charleston airport, and that same pilot continued to give her flying lessons in his spare time. Eventually, she got her certification as a private-plane pilot, “but I still never thought that I would do anything with it.”

As much as she loved flying, Hollman worked as a paramedic, restaurant manager and veterinary technician before deciding on a career in the friendly skies. She just never really thought that aviation was the right fit for her.

“I thought it was for people who were really smart and had a lot of money,” says Hollman, who grew up in a working class family with a single mother who struggled to make ends meet after the deaths of Hollman’s father and brother in a house fire.

Hollman taught at the flight school on Charleston’s Air Force Base, and she spent three years flying for commercial airlines.

Pilots have to be well-rounded, says Hollman, mastering aerodynamics, physics, maintenance and meteorology, and being able to think on their feet in sometimes-stressful situations.

But most aviation students find, like Hollman, that they love the feeling of flying above the clouds.

“You see so many things that most people never ever get to see. The sunsets look different when you’re at 5,000 feet. I think it’s very rewarding, especially for young people,” Hollman says, explaining that flying lessons can inspire a newfound interest in math and science among kids who’ve never shown a previous aptitude or interest in the subjects.

Hollman has become a big fan of Greenville since she moved here.

“I flew in the airlines, and we overnighted in a lot of cities. I’ve always liked Greenville. It’s very lively, it’s friendly, people are happy. There’s a lot of greenery around. Downtown is great, it’s safe, you can walk around at nearly all hours.”

And the Upstate has plenty of folks who are eager to learn aviation, which suits Hollman just fine.

“I do love flying, but I actually love teaching more. ... It keeps your mind very active, you’re always learning new things. But when you teach, it keeps aviation new and fresh because you always see the students the first time they solo, and they’re so happy.”


Article and photo: http://www.greenvilleonline.com

1 comment:

  1. Thats a pretty good story. I"m a flight instructor at KPMP and would love to talk more with you ..I have watched a lot of your videos and I will say you seem to love what you do..I would love to talk with you and hear more about your career if you like , my email is jimstambaugh@yahoo.com....hope to hear from you

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