In recent years, the number of student pilots has increased exponentially. In the U.S. in 2025 alone, nearly 345 thousand student pilots were actively flying. Furthermore, teenagers can obtain their Private Pilot License (PPL) as early as age 17. Three Summit students have all been training and flying in their high school years, working toward a future in aviation.
After receiving his PPL in December, senior Adam Kovarik said that speaking to a real pilot is what sparked his curiosity for aviation.
“One time a few years ago, I actually sat next to a pilot on a plane who was commuting [to] somewhere else, and for [about] four hours, he told me about his whole career path, and a ‘behind the scenes’ viewpoint of his job. It was really interesting. So I took what’s called a ‘discovery flight’, where I, with an instructor, flew for two hours, and I was super interested from it. [So], I just started training, and the rest is history [and I started flying] about a little over two years ago,” Kovarik said.
As a prerequisite to a PPL and Commercial Pilot License, young pilots first have to receive a certificate to fly solo. Junior Alyssa Bosek, who received her Student Pilot Certificate in November of 2025, is still working toward her first solo flight, but has aspirations to become a pilot in the future.
“My uncle has a plane, and I’ve always been really interested. I [was] always told how he basically pays for his pilots to go on vacations. So it’s like a free vacation, [and] I think that would be cool. I’ve always wanted a job that wasn’t just sitting in [an] office, [and] I feel like [flying] is such a fun job [that] I can do so much with,” Bosek said.
At the age of 18, pilots can receive their Commercial Pilot License (CPL) to be eligible to fly for large airlines. Senior Tallie Brown shared how she’s been interested in flying her whole life, and how she aspires to fly commercially in the future.
“I started my training sophomore year, but I really liked [flying] pretty much my whole life. I plan to go to Jacksonville University next year to [train to] be an airline pilot,” Brown said.
Bosek flies with Elite Aviation in Chesterfield, while Brown and Kovarik fly out of St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. Brown works at the airport, allowing her to pretty much fly any time she wants.
“Pretty much any chance I get, [I fly]. Probably three times a week or more, as long as I get approved to go up. I wash planes and [do other things for work],” Brown said.
After training is completed, student pilots don’t necessarily have to fly on a schedule. Kovarik flies even less now after receiving his PPL.
“When I was training for my license, [I flew] like once a week. But now that I have my license, I fly like once a month, just to stay proficient,” Kovarik said.
As a student pilot who does not work at an airport, Bosek said flying is less frequent for her, also stating how enjoyable it can be.
“[How often I fly] really depends on the week. We try to do like, two times a week if we can, but during the winter, it’s kind of hard. [Flying] is so much fun. This is gonna sound corny, but, when you’re up there, it’s just so peaceful,” Bosek said.
Kovarik has plans of pursuing aviation in college to become a commercial pilot.
“[I plan to go to] Purdue [University] or Auburn [University]. I want to be a commercial pilot for a major airline. [I enjoy flying because] every time you take off and you just feel like you’re in the air, it’s a super sick feeling,” Kovarik said.
