Congratulations to Seth Holloway, EAA 1058791, for passing his private pilot checkride on April 8, and for accepting an appointment to the United States Naval Academy that begins on June 28, 2018.
Seth will be missing EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer for the first time in eight years due to his Naval Academy appointment. Seth had a special moment at AirVenture when he was 12 years old, after spending years by selling eggs to raise enough money to buy a ride on EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast.
“That was something I always reflect on,” Seth said. “I wear my [bomber] jacket to this day. It’s one of the greatest memories I have, and that was one of the things that drove me to go, ‘I want to get my pilot’s license. This is amazing.’ And it gave me further inspiration to join the military. I had always had a passion for history, but that especially made me go, ‘I have a duty to serve my country, and this is what I want to do.’”
Seth said he was nervous before his checkride, but once he got going he realized it wasn’t as bad as the average driver’s test.
“The FAA examiner was very relaxed, very friendly,” he said. “I was thinking it’s going to be like the DMV, you go there, and they’re not very friendly, and it’s just not a fun event, but it was just like going and flying with my instructor, really.”
The biggest lesson Seth said he learned in getting his private pilot certificate, and his acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy alike, was patience and not getting discouraged by a bump in the road.
“It takes time,” Seth said. “I started last year, end of May, early June, thinking I’ll have it done by November or December at the very latest. And it took me until this past weekend to do it in April. I was a little discouraged along the way. It’s kind of the same way with the Naval Academy. I had applied to do some of their summer programs and got rejected. It’s disappointing, but I knew this was just another hurdle to get over, and if I keep working at it and keep pushing I’ll get there.”
Through lots of hard work, Seth has gotten just about everywhere he’s wanted to go so far. We at EAA can’t wait to see where that attitude takes him next. Congratulations again, Seth!
Photos courtesy of Tal Holloway
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagle flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at editorial@eaa.org.