Congratulations to EAA Chapter 105 Ray Scholar recipient Alexander Patrushin, EAA 1262553, on passing his private pilot checkride! Alex passed his checkride on August 14 at Twin Oaks Airpark in Hillsboro, Oregon.
“The first thing that ran through my head after passing my checkride was that it’s just so weird that now I don’t have to meet up with an instructor every few times a week and fly with him,” Alex said. “Now, I can just go anywhere I want on my own or I can take somebody up.”
20-year-old Alex said for as long as he can remember, he always been interested in aviation.
“Growing up, we lived in Europe, and I wanted to get into aviation, but I read that it would be hard for me to get my license, so I kind of gave up on it for a while,” Alex said. “Then, when we moved to America when I was 15, I gradually started seeing ways I could do it. It just all came together.”
When Alex was 17 years old, his father’s colleague introduced him to radio-controlled airplanes. That was exactly what he needed to ignite his passion for aviation again. Alex soon fell in love with RC flying, and immersed himself into aerobatic competitions.
“I found out about a local EAA Chapter, 105, and their monthly pancake breakfast fly-in,” Alex said. “I found out you could volunteer, and there was a little chance of winning a free flight on an airplane. So, I went for that. It wasn’t really a big deal for me, I just kept on going to volunteer. I ended up getting a few rides and I really loved it. And actually, my very first ride was on my very first visit to the monthly chapter breakfast. It was a whole new environment for me, so I was a bit shy, but I’m glad my parents pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and ask someone for a discovery flight.”
Eager for more things aviation, Alex started seeking more ways to get involved. Eventually a fellow EAA chapter member mentioned TeenFlight, a program that gives teenagers the opportunity to build an airplane with peers under the supervision of an experienced instructor.
“I joined and I got to learn how to work with tools I’ve never worked with before,” Alex said. “TeenFlight was really like a place I could go and just talk to people that are like-minded and actually get my hands on some real work, like riveting or just working with aluminum or fiberglass.”
Through TeenFlight, Alex and his peers completed an RV-12 build in 2018. As the project was wrapping up, TeenFlight leaders were seeking a new team to build next year’s project, when they approached Alex and asked him to be a peer mentor.
Alex enjoyed being a mentor through TeenFlight so much that when he was finished, he set a goal to eventually earn his CFI and give back to the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.
“I just always liked helping people, teaching people,” Alex said. “The first time was back in Europe, a teacher asked me to help a student with a math problem. I had no idea why the teacher asked me, but I said okay. I managed to explain the problem to the student in just a couple of minutes, which I felt pretty good about. I guess it kind of boosted my confidence. And then, at TeenFlight, it was a great experience. It was interesting because you have more than just one person you’re talking to, you’re trying to help. You have, I don’t know, it was probably 10, 12 new students, and you monitor whoever has a question or looks like they need help.”
Alex said he can’t thank his CFI, EAA Chapter 105 family, friends, and parents enough for all their help and support along the way. Second to becoming a Ray Scholar recipient, one of Alex’s favorite moments as a student pilot was getting the opportunity to fly from Oregon to Oshkosh!
“I ended up going to Oshkosh in the very first RV-12 built by TeenFlight with an awesome mentor at TeenFlight,” Alex said. “It was really interesting to see the changes in landscape, going from mountains to basically just flat land. I was a student pilot, so I already knew some stuff about flying, but then flying to Oshkosh is a whole different thing. It was really cool just seeing that it’s really a place where there is a ton of airplanes, a ton of people who are into aviation. Then, the trip back from Oshkosh, back home, we actually got to fly EAA’s One Week Wonder airplane, which was a really a fun experience!”
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagles flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at EAA.org/submissions.