Isaiah works at the Baraboo Dells Airport alongside taking courses at the airport’s ground school. We asked him some questions about what he plans to do in the aviation industry.
How did you find out about SIA and become a student?
I found out through my father and grandparents. Joe [Canepa]’s other job is IT, so I believe my father knew him through some of the programs [Joe] did on the buses. And then my grandparents also introduced me to him for his ground course.
How do you think the classes you took with SIA are applying to the work you’re doing now?
Through the ground school we took with SIA, a lot of the basic principles of airplanes in general have helped relate. I work as a lineman, so I fuel the planes, and because we keep jets on base as well, I work with those. A big thing I would say that applied from the classes to the job is just learning about the actual structures of the planes. When it comes to relating to my work and job, just learning the different structures of the planes and how they function has helped with getting around all the different planes that I experience from day to day. Obviously, throughout taking flying lessons, everything has applied.
Are you planning on becoming a pilot in the future?
As of right now, yes. The goal is a future in aviation as a career. I’m working on my Private [Pilot’s License] right now, with plans to continue into Instrument [Rating] right after. And then from there, we’ll just see where the future takes me, but as of right now, commercial pilot is the end goal.
What was your path to becoming a student pilot?
I started SIA toward the end of my senior year of high school, so I was simultaneously taking classes through SIA and at school. After high school ended, I pretty much immediately started up at the airport and started getting my flight hours.
What was your favorite part of working with SIA?
The flight simulators were cool, but one thing I really liked about SIA is that Joe really strived to get people from all areas of aviation included in it. We had many guest speakers – from pilots to previous fighter pilots to attendants to a gentleman whose job was to survey the different runways around the state of Wisconsin. He really brought in a lot of people to show us a bunch of avenues in aviation – that even if we weren’t pilots there were still other areas. I really appreciated that and I thought that was a really nice thing we did through SIA.
Would you recommend SIA to other people?
Absolutely, I think if anyone’s interested in aviation, SIA is 100% a great way to go. It is cost friendly and the information that you get is no less than any other ground school. I’m currently in another ground school, but that’s purely circumstantial. Through my work at the airport, they have a certified flight instructor on base so I’m learning through her, and having compared the two, SIA is a very good ground school course that I would recommend to anybody.
Do you have anything you would want to say to future students at SIA?
To any students who are thinking about getting into aviation or having any doubts, through SIA, even if you just take the class, it’s a great experience. You gain a lot of knowledge that you wouldn’t really get anywhere else. Even if you don’t choose to be a pilot, it introduces you to so many avenues of aviation that you don’t necessarily think about. Whether you like mechanics, or surveying, or a whole plethora of things. It is a great course to take if you have the time.
