Sequoyah Senior Earns Pilot's License

A Sequoyah High School student has earned his Private Pilot's License (PPL) to complete his senior project, and will soon begin working towards flying in the Air Force.

Logan Honea grew up around planes; his father was a pilot, and for as long as he can remember, Logan wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. 

Once he entered Sequoyah High School, he discovered a supportive and encouraging environment that allowed him to focus on graduating and earning his pilot's license.

The capstone accomplishment for each Cherokee County School District senior involved with the Career Pathways model is the "senior project." Each senior must complete a four-part project, which includes a research paper, working for at least 15 hours on their final product, a portfolio, and a final ten-minute presentation before the senior boards.

The senior project must be related to the career field the senior wishes to pursue in his or her life. For Honea, the project and his life's goal were conveniently married.

"You have to set a goal and keep working at it through high school," Honea said. "It's gonna be tough, and balancing your schedule will be a problem. Staying focused is the biggest challenge."

During the summer of his sophomore year, Honea soloed for the first time. He has accumulated 80 hours of stick time, both by himself and with an instructor. Honea took and passed his FAA Practical Test (or checkride) on April 6.

The checkride consists of a three-and-one-half-hour oral test, followed by a flight test with an instructor, where pilots demonstrate the maneuvers they have learned during flight training.

Now that Honea has "earned his wings," he plans to attend Middle Georgia College's Aviation Campus to become multi-engine and instrument rated. He eventually wants to become a military pilot for the Air Force.

Honea wants to give back to his community and spread his love of aviation to younger people. He has offered to talk to any young person interested in becoming an aviator.

"I want to let students know that they can fly," he said. "I want to spread aviation to all young people. "