Why We Fly

Soaring enhances teen's aviation outlook

The pilot logbook that belongs to Curtis L. Lewis III has an entry dated September 12, 2002, which reads, "Ready to solo." Lewis was 11 years old at the time. He followed through on the promise of that logbook entry, however, earning a private pilot certificate with glider rating and eventually a single-engine land rating in December 2006. Along the way, the teenager from Loves Park, Illinois, known as "Trace" to his friends and family, set two junior soaring records in the state of Wisconsin, flying his family's L33 Blanik, and received scholarships from the Poplar Grove Aviation Museum and the Chicago Area Glider Council.

To the casual observer, it would appear Lewis's interests now lie with powered aircraft, since he's getting checked out in a Piper J-3 Cub at Poplar Grove Airport, east of Rockford. But he remains true to his soaring roots, explaining that his objective in getting some tailwheel time is so that he can tow gliders for a local soaring club.

Both kinds of flying have their benefits and challenges, he says. "Flying power, you have radios to deal with, you have to communicate and navigate precisely, there's more up front as far as flying the instruments goes. Then again, if you want to get somewhere, you point it the direction you want to go, and you go." In a glider, "you're working the environment to get yourself somewhere for fun. Actually getting there is the fun part.

"My dad uses the analogy that the power pilots are like crows flying around looking for food, and glider pilots are like hawks," flying the thermals for fun, he explains.

Lewis's father, Curtis L. Lewis Jr., taught his son to fly gliders, and the family attends soaring competitions, with Trace's mother, Vicki, serving as crew chief. Trace recalls that having his dad as his flight instructor was convenient; his ground school was "24/7," and he could ask his father questions any time he liked. When he eventually soloed a powered airplane, father and son created and posted a video on YouTube--and it shows footage of the event interspersed with photographs of a younger Trace flying a glider.

Not surprisingly, Lewis's career aspirations lie with the airlines or flying cargo. He plans to attend a college with an aviation program (University of Illinois-Champaign is his first choice) and work as a flight instructor while he's an undergraduate. His summer plans include flying, finding a part-time job, and participating in glider competitions. In fact, the family was readying the Blanik and a Genesis II sailplane for a competition in Waynesville, Ohio, as this article was being written. While he's there, Lewis says, he will earn some extra flying money taking photos of the competitors and their sailplanes. For now, Trace Lewis is flying with both the crows and the hawks.

Jill W. Tallman is associate editor of AOPA Flight Training magazine. A private pilot since 2001, she has approximately 400 hours.