John Pichitino was your typical airport kid who earned his way to a pilot certificate by mowing lawns and painting fences at a grass strip in southern Vermont an hour of flight instruction in exchange for 12 hours of labor. Those opportunities aren't so available today. And that's why Pichitino decided to help another student pilot earn her wings.
When he obtained a flight instructor certificate in 2008, Pichitino, now living in Nevada City, California, pledged that he would find a student who loved aviation but didn't have the financial resources to learn to fly.
He didn't have to look far. Molly Meade, whom he had known for years she was a childhood friend of his daughter was taking flight lessons, working two jobs, and attending college. She had logged about 20 hours, paying nearly $200 per hour with tips earned as a waitress at a coffee shop, when her mother mentioned to Pichitino that she was struggling to get her pilot certificate.
Pichitino contacted Meade. "I told her, 'You be my first student, and I'll teach you to fly for the cost of splitting the tank of gas.'" He put Meade on his personal insurance, and she finished her training in Pichitino's 1970 Cessna 172, flying out of Nevada County Air Park in Grass Valley.
The arrangement benefited Meade in more ways than one. "It allowed us to take our time with the training and experience a lot more real-world flying," Pichitino says. "It wasn't just flight training to pass the checkride. We'd fly into mountains so she could actually experience high density altitude situations. We flew to the coast where the marine layer wreaks havoc and she had to request a special VFR clearance to depart [the airport]. We spent time in complex airspace and larger airports. The result is she's a very competent pilot even though she just passed her checkride."
Meade plans to continue her training and would like to become a professional pilot. She's seeking scholarships, grants, and other financial opportunities to make that happen. And some day, Meade will "pay it forward" by giving another aviation student the opportunity she has received. That, too, was part of the deal with Pichitino. "Flying has been a lifelong passion, but the most rewarding moment I have ever experienced was the joy on her face having passed the checkride," he says.
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