By Charlie Gibbons, EAA 1408942
My name is Charlie Gibbons, and I am a 21-year-old student currently attending Kent State University. First off, I would like to say thank you for selecting me as the recipient for the Richard R. Harper Memorial Scholarship. I appreciate it greatly as it will help me continue to strive towards my goal of becoming an air medical transport pilot.
I remember staring up at the sky as a young child, imagining myself as the pilot of the aircraft soaring overhead. I had my first opportunity to go on a general aviation flight when I was twelve years old due to my father’s work with the University of Michigan health system as both an addictionologist and psychiatrist. He had worked with Delta Air Lines running alcohol and narcotic recovery programs for their pilots. Unfortunately, when I was 13 years old, my father died from complications of pneumonia in 2014. His death has fueled the passion for me to become an air medical transport pilot. He had not only fostered my love for aviation but also instilled a passion for helping others which was exemplified by his work.
Despite the loss of my father and later my mother in 2018, I have persevered. In 2014, my sister gained legal guardianship of my brother and me. We moved to Augusta, Georgia, where I began my first two years of high school and got the opportunity to take an instruction flight in a Cessna 172. In the summer of 2017, I reached my first solo flight at 11 hours. Soon after, my sister and her husband decided to move to Cleveland, Ohio. I began my third year of high school in Bay Village, Ohio. I joined athletics teams, continued my volunteering, and focused on studying my ground school course for my private pilot written exam.
Once at Kent State University, I enrolled in the aeronautics program to pursue a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science. I achieved a 3.9 GPA after my first semester which I continue to hold. In the spring of 2020, I began flying at Aerotrek Flight Academy based out of the Wadsworth Municipal Airport (3G3). I then earned a job at the Wadsworth Municipal Airport as an assistant airport manager. In this position, I was responsible for assisting the flight school as well as handling all ground operations for the Cleveland Clinic Air Medevac.
Throughout my journey, I found it difficult to afford my private pilot training. Thankfully, I had close relationships with flight instructors based out of the Wadsworth Municipal Airport who helped me pass my private pilot check ride in February of 2021 through free instructional lessons. I am currently studying for my instrument written exam.
With the Richard R. Harper Memorial scholarship, I have the opportunity to finish my instrument rating. My gratitude for this scholarship is unmeasurable. It is giving me the chance to chase my dreams and become an air medical transport pilot.