Don't give up! Opportunities happen

By Zinnia Kilkenny, IAC 437244

ZK: Your father longed to be a pilot when the necessary medical innovation he required wasn't available. Instead, he invested the extra resources so you could. Recently, you had the heartwarming experience of giving him his first aerobatic ride.

JH: Yes! It was so rewarding to share such a full-circle moment with my Dad - and he loves aerobatics. My Dad exposed me to aviation, and both of my parents were so supportive throughout my flight training journey. It’s been a long-time dream to fly aerobatics with my Dad, and it was an awesome flight. We had a blast, and he was so excited to fly with me in my newly purchased airplane!

Ever since I became a private pilot, I’ve taken him flying whenever we could get our hands on a rental airplane. Now that I own one, the opportunities are almost endless. I’m excited to go on more flying adventures with him this summer - hopefully, to some air shows and fly-ins, and of course, more upside-down flying. My Mom is not so into flying aerobatics, but she is incredibly supportive, and I really wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my parents. They helped me through flight school and beyond.

ZK: Like countless youth, how did a trip to AirVenture set the trajectory for your air show and aerobatic aspirations?

JH: My Dad started taking me to AirVenture when I was eight years old, and that trip set the course for my life. I loved being around the airplanes, but I also really loved meeting incredible pilots at every turn. The aviation family was something I knew I wanted to be a part of - I just found my inspirations more from air shows than airlines. Watching the air show at that first AirVenture, I remember watching Patty Wagstaff fly and thinking that I knew I wanted to fly like that someday. I wasn’t sure how I’d make it happen, but I knew that I would.

It’s been more than 20 years since, but I’m finally able to take tangible steps toward those goals in these last few years, and it’s been incredibly gratifying. I’ve only missed one AirVenture since that first one, and I’m so excited to go back and reunite with my newly found aerobatic community. It’s been so fun to live out the dreams I set out for myself all those years ago.

ZK: Congratulations on your first contest; how did you prepare, and how did it go?

JH: It was great! So much fun, and it exceeded my expectations in every way. I prepared over the last year by both training with instructors and solo practice. This past winter, I spent some time doing competition-focused training with Patty Wagstaff at her flight school in St. Augustine, which was beneficial and a ton of fun. I also flew with Chicago-area instructor Jared Sebesta, and between the two of them, I was able to lay the groundwork to feel comfortable practicing solo.

I bought my 1975 Decathlon in March and have spent most good-weather days (when I’m not flying for work) practicing. Getting the feeling of my airplane, which was slightly different than what I was used to flying, took some time. My plane is a 150hp constant speed prop - I’d flown Super Decathlons and a 150hp fixed pitch prop Decathlon, but never one exactly like the one I purchased. So there was a bit of a learning curve, and I spent many days working hard toward executing the maneuvers in the Primary sequence to perfection. The Decathlon requires such precision to make it present well, and I loved that challenge.  It made some days frustrating, but there was no feeling like it when I knew I nailed a maneuver.

I attended a play day with IAC Chapter 1, my local chapter, and got some great critiques and advice from experienced members. They were so helpful, and that experience helped ease my nerves of flying in the aerobatic box in front of judges. The Michigan Aerobatic Open was such a great first contest. The experienced competitors were helpful and encouraging, and I loved meeting my fellow new competition pilots, too. I think after the last year, everyone was just so excited to be back together doing something we all love - flying aerobatics. The weekend was such a blast, and I cannot wait to see some of my new friends at other contests in the mid-America region this year.

ZK: As an airshow kid yourself, is there anything you'd like to say to the up-and-coming aerobatic aviators who look up to you?

JH: Don't give up! I know it can be tough having these goals and dreams, but the opportunities will happen if you keep working toward them. It can be a hard road waiting until you can really afford to fly aerobatics, but it's totally attainable through scholarships and aircraft partnerships. Also, I hope the younger generation isn't deterred by getting started because the aerobatic pilot community is so welcoming and encouraging. I have loved making friends through aerobatics and getting a lot of great advice from more experienced pilots. I hope anyone who looks up to me can be inspired by my journey thus far and use it to fuel their own goals.

 

 

Editorial Note: Julia has competed in three contests this season: Michigan Aerobatic Open, Yooper Looper, and the Ohio Aerobatic Open. She is in first place for the MidAmerica Regional Series with 82.35%. The regional series standings can be found here: https://iaccdb.iac.org/leaders/regionals/2021