When a plane flies over someone in the sky, they often think where it is going, however usually no one wonders who is flying it. With metal wings and a wheel in his hands, Madison’s own Evan Webb has often been the pilot of these planes. Webb started flying three years ago at Morristown Airport through the American Flyer Flight School. Flying on commercial flights had been one of Evan’s favorite experiences so he decided to pursue the uncommon hobby of piloting. The process began with 40 hours of flight training along with an extensive curriculum. He learned about the mechanics of the plane as well as how to fly. This process includes simulators as well as solo flight before the trainee receives an actual pilot license.
Webb has logged 150 hours of flight in a 4 passenger Cessna 172. Piloting has led to some extreme experiences for the 18 year old. His favorite thing to do is to fly around Manhattan and be “able to see anything from high up in the air.” While flying, he listens to Taylor Swift and hopes for a problem free flight. However, flying is not always as easy as it looks. During one flight, Evan found out one of the tires in his landing gear was flat and he was forced to execute an emergency landing. These kinds of high-pressure situations come with the responsibility of piloting an aircraft thousands of feet above the ground. Webb hopes to become a flight medic in the future and continue listening to his favorite musician Taylor Swift in the cockpit.