Photo by Ashlie Walter
Dana Gustafson
Dana Gustafson and her dad, Karl, get ready for takeoff at Fairmont Municipal Airport.
“When I was younger, we would always fly to places, and my main goal is to become a commercial pilot,” Gustafson said.
She said the thrill of flying in a plane is what interests her.
While flying would scare most people, Gustafson has learned to put aside that fear and just enjoy it. For her first flight, when she was 17 years old, she said she was excited and learned to keep an open mind.
“I just like looking outside. The first time I was a little bit nervous, but I got past it,” she said.
Currently, Gustafson, 19, has her private pilot’s license, which means she can fly alone. She also is finishing her Instrument Flight Rules exam. In that exam, she has to fly a plane only by looking at her instruments. She hopes to work her way up to a license to pilot a commercial plane.
After the instrument exam, Gustafson said she will get her twin-engine ratings and then become an instructor to build enough time and experience before being able to fly a commercial plane. Commercial pilots are required to have 1,500 hours of flying time.
During her practice on a family friend’s plane, she said they have traveled far on some occasions. Gustafson and her dad took a long trip to Illinois to visit family. The two also have flown to Houston.
The farthest Gustafson has flown by herself was to Tennessee.
In her spare time, she is a member of the Civil Air Patrol, where she goes on missions to find lost planes, learn leadership skills and teach kids about aerospace.
Gerald Wedemeyer is the squadron commander of the Clarksburg Composite Squadron where Gustafson has been a cadet for several years.
He said Gustafson earned the Mitchell Award, which is quite a milestone in the Civil Air Patrol. The award moves her from cadet to cadet officer.
On their missions, Wedemeyer described their winter practice search in Elkins. They went there to learn cold weather survival, including how to camp out, stay warm and dress properly.
“Most of the time, we’re looking for practice targets, training in radio communications and training with another group of searchers,” Wedemeyer said. “Everybody has to go through it so that if something comes up, we have people with some experience.”
He said Gustafson is responsible for training new cadets, functioning as the cadet commander for a period of time and organizing the activities for all cadets.
“She’s shown the initiative,” Wedemeyer said.
David McRobie said he first met Gustafson while in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). McRobie had not flown a plane in a while so he took a refresher course through the CAP and bought the small plane. Gustafson was just starting out at CAP, and she used McRobie’s plane for practice.
McRobie said Gustafson already had some training in smaller airplanes, but she wanted to fly something bigger.
“I think it’s a good idea for women or men to do something they like this early on so they can tell whether they like to do it or not to do,” McRobie said.
Gustafson graduated from Bridgeport High School and participated on the swim team and was a member of marching band.
She is attending Fairmont State University, studying airport management and plans to graduate in 2016.
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