Riverwood Student Pilots Soaring in the Sky

Riverwood International Charter School sophomores Niisceedee Parra-Franco and Kiersten Franklin piloted their first flights in four-seater Cessna 172 plane, last Monday.

As part of the Riverwood Flying Club, they had been learning all year but had never been at the helm. The eight-member club is run by founder and Riverwood math teacher Alan Sohmer, who is also a longtime pilot and certified flight instructor. He began the club five years ago and the group meets once a week to watch training videos and learn from Sohmer about the rules of flying small engines. Several times per year he takes students to the Gwinnett County Airport for their flying lesson. They were scheduled to go up again this past Saturday.

When Parra-Franco and Franklin went on their discovery flights, they flew to and landed at the Winder, Ga. airport, then flew over Lake Lanier and back to Gwinnett.

“I can’t believe I’m really doing this,” said an excited Parro-Franco at take-off. 

Franklin was grinned from ear to ear when they landed and said she had so much fun that she was joining the club again next year and her friends from school want to do it too.

Sohmer says most of his club members are just curious and interested in learning to fly for fun, but over the years a few have grown more serious in their aspirations. One student flew just to prove that she could conquer her fear of heights, another got his license while in high school, and several have shown interest in pursuing a career in aviation.

People of any age can learn to fly though one must be 16 years old to obtain a pilot’s license.

Sohmer says his students are often nervous when going for their discovery flights but there’s nothing like seeing the exhilaration when they take off and the satisfaction of know they landed the plane safely. 

Student pilot Christine Tye, as sophomore said, “I came to the flying club expecting to go up in the air once or twice. But after going up, I fell in love with the experience, and now I want to be a pilot. I don’t know of any other place that I would get the opportunity to fly as a part of my high school experience, but I’m so thankful.”