On a crisp morning at Kent State’s Andrew Paton Field, the noise of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk echoes across the tarmac. Lydia Braun, a junior professional pilot major, adjusts her headset, checks her instruments and prepares for takeoff. It’s just another flight in an intense training schedule, but for Braun, each day is a step closer to achieving her dream.

“It was always in my mind that I wanted to be a pilot,” Braun said. “Ever since I was little and I’d go to airports … I loved being on planes.”

Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering ranks within the top 50 collegiate aviation programs in the United States. Students like Braun spend hours in flight simulators and real cockpits, balancing academic coursework with flight training. However, behind the scenes lies a demanding, high-pressure environment that prepares students to be professionals long before their career begins.

Many students in the professional pilot program, particularly the ones with early flight times, have to be able to wake up in the early morning to ensure that they have enough time in their day for everything that needs to be done. Balancing academics with flight training is not something easily accomplished, Braun said.

“It’s a pretty heavy workload,” said flight instructor Olivia Bouma-Hannam. “Some deal with it better than others, but I’d say a good piece of advice is waking up as early as possible to try to make the most of the day.” 

Flight students don’t automatically start going on cross country solo flights as soon as they come to college, Braun said. They start simple in the planes, also learning about Federal Aviation Administration regulations, aerodynamics and meteorology while on the ground. 

“The first couple flights are extremely rudimentary,” Braun said. “Just going up, trying to hold altitude and turning to headings.”

The simplicity can change quickly, as many things do in the field of aviation. One of the top skills learned throughout flight training is situational awareness and knowing what’s going on around you at all times, Bouma-Hannam said.

While the excitement of flying is undeniable, the path to graduation isn’t easy or cheap. Flight fees can add up to tens of thousands of dollars throughout college, not including tuition. Students often juggle part-time jobs, scholarships or student loans to get through this. Braun took another path, though – joining the military.

To help cover the cost of tuition, she joined the Air National Guard after her freshman year, which in turn caused her to have to take a year off from school.

Throughout her time in basic training and technical training school, Braun faced a lot of challenges, but the thought of being able to fly pushed her through every tough time when she wanted to give up.

“I’d see my plane pictures on my phone, and I’d be like, ‘This is what I’m doing it for.’ You have to remind yourself why you’re there, and that was my reason,” Braun said. 

Beyond cost, weather is one of the biggest issues student pilots face. Flights are frequently delayed or canceled due to low visibility or windy conditions. For students on a tight schedule, Braun said each missed flight hour can add stress.

Students must be safe, but Bouma-Hannam said it’s also extremely important for them to get flight hours logged each week and to practice enough to ensure they’ll be able to pass their check rides. These are flight tests conducted to assess a pilot’s knowledge for a specific license.

“They want to try to push themselves to get on the check ride, although that’s not always the smartest thing,” Bouma-Hannam said. “For a flight instructor to sign you off, we need to make sure that you’re 100% ready to go and confident that you’re gonna pass.”

Practice makes perfect, and a lot of aviation students have goals to fly for a big airline or work as a private pilot.

Braun originally wanted to work for Delta, but as she’s progressed through college, her career goals have changed, and now she hopes to either work for NetJets, a private company, or get a pilot slot in the Air National Guard.

For now, Braun will continue to log flight hours, expecting to reach 300-400 hours by the time she graduates, a solid foundation for anyone on the professional pilot track.

Her advice for incoming students is to expect challenges but not to feel intimidated by them.

“I thought it might be too hard. Spoiler alert: it is hard,” Braun said. “But once I started flying, I realized it is really what I wanted to do.”

Rachel McKean is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].