TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.
My name is Kyle McCrone, I’m 20 years old and from Portland, OR. I moved to Arizona to study at American Flyers in October and have since completed Instrument-Airplane and Commercial SEL. Before American Flyers, I graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Spanish and worked part-time as a Ramp Agent at a local FBO.
WHAT GOT YOU INTO FLYING?
I have been fascinated by aviation from a very young age. My father is a pilot for United Airlines, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. I have multiple family members who have also been pilots—my uncle is a retired United Airlines pilot and my great-grandfather was a pilot for Pan Am, making me the fourth generation of pilots in my family. When I turned 16, I got a job with a local flight school and began working towards my Private Pilot Certificate.
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING A FLIGHT SCHOOL?
When I was choosing a flight school, I was looking for somewhere where I could fly often and progress through my training quickly and efficiently. I wanted a school with a reputation for high-quality training and expertise.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE AMERICAN FLYERS?
I chose American Flyers because it was the school that stood out most to me for not only getting my training done efficiently but also for providing me with a customized finish-up program since I already had 160 hours and my private pilot license before coming to American Flyers. Many of the other schools I looked at only offered a one-size-fits-all approach and required a great deal of money upfront, which did not work for me considering the amount of experience I had coming into the program. I also felt that the quality of training at American Flyers was better than many other schools and that the instructors cared about their students’ success.
HOW MUCH OUTSIDE STUDYING DID YOU HAVE TO PUT IN DURING YOUR TIME WITH AMERICAN FLYERS?
The amount of time varied depending on whether or not I had a check ride or written exam coming up, but I would say on average I spent 5-10 hours per week outside of American Flyers studying.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AT AMERICAN FLYERS?
I think one of my most memorable moments at American Flyers was doing my Commercial 300 NM flight because it was the longest time and furthest distance that I had flown an airplane by myself. It was a precious experience to fly Cross-Country IFR by myself for the first time, and it was a fun preview of what professional flying would look like for me.
LOOKING BACK, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE INTERESTED IN STARTING PILOT TRAINING?
My biggest piece of advice for someone getting into flying would be that they need to have a passion for aviation if they want to make a career out of it. Success in your pilot training requires a lot of studying and preparation outside of flight training blocks, and preparing for check rides and written exams can be a stressful experience. That being said, if you have a true passion for aviation, it will be very worth it to one day be doing what you love as a career.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
Soon, I will begin training for my CFI-A and CFI-I, and hopefully begin working as a flight instructor.
IF YOU COULD FLY ANYWHERE, GO TO ANY FLYING DESTINATION, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
One day, I would love to fly a wide-body jet for a major airline to Madrid, Spain. I did a study-abroad program near Madrid for my major in college, and I think it would be a fun full-circle moment for me to fly a large aircraft there one day.