In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the EAA Air Academy in 2018, we’re featuring Air Academy graduates whose stories inspire and exemplify the impact of the program.
Susanne Stalker grew up not too far from Oshkosh, but it was a hands-on experience at her local high school that caused her to initially pursue aviation, not any involvement with EAA — at least not at first.
“I was in a club in high school where we were building a Zenith,” she said. “It was really cool, and that’s kind of what sparked [my interest] a little bit. It helped me develop some of that knowledge in aviation.”
After her interest was piqued, Susanne followed up on it by attending the EAA Advanced SportAir Academy in 2013, a hybrid program of the Air Academy and the SportAir Workshops that existed at the time.
Like many Air Academy graduates, in addition to the aviation experiences that make up the program, Susanne said being surrounded by people who all look up when they hear an airplane overhead was a great experience.
“Not very many people in my high school were going to go into flight,” Susanne said. “I didn’t have that community of people. They were like, ‘Oh there’s that airplane girl.’ It was cool to go to the Air Academy to see all of these other students driven to go the same direction in aviation, and how they were also interested in the same things I was.”
Many former Air Academy students go on to become a pilot, recreationally or professionally. Susanne’s dream aviation career has more to do with ensuring that airplanes fly as they should rather than being the one to fly them.
She’s currently finishing her undergraduate studies in aeronautical engineering and technology, and plans to attend graduate school afterward with the goal of someday being a manufacturing engineer. Susanne said she enjoys hands-on work and anticipates getting her A&P certificate in December 2018, when she graduates.
“I have lab every day where I get covered in oil, and it’s actually just a lot of fun to get in there,” she said. “What I really enjoyed was riveting. You get to put something together, you get to see your progress, and you get to accomplish something. I really enjoyed that. I enjoy flying, but I really just enjoy making things. It’s always been something that I’ve been interested in.”
Susanne said she’d like to get her private pilot certificate at some point, although her current focus is on her true passion. She said it’s fun to be able to explain to those around her precisely what is happening mechanically in an aircraft.
“I prepare myself,” she said. “I know what each part is doing. I know what that sound might be. There was one flight where it was a little girl’s first flight, and I could tell her all the different parts and what they did. It was really cool.”
If you or someone you know has an Air Academy story to share, e-mail Ti Windisch at twindisch@eaa.org.