Ashbach pictured with her Cessna 172. (Reagan Ashbach)

The first time senior Reagan Ashbach flew a plane, she was only eight years old. While she was nervous at first, she was soon enthralled by the experience and developed her love for flying. This passion was further fueled by her family’s history in aviation.

“I’m actually the 4th generation in my family to get my private pilot’s license. My great-grandmother was the first one in our family to get it, and then my grandpa and his wife, and then my dad and his brother, and then it’s gonna be me next,” said Ashbach. 

While her parents encouraged her to get her license, she was not forced into it. “They definitely weren’t pushing it on me either, which is really nice. They were actually like, ‘Think about this. This is a big commitment,’” she said.

Ashbach spends many hours working towards her pilot’s license at Twin Cities Flight Training in Anoka, where she learns both in the air and on the ground. Alongside logging flying hours in a Cessna 172 during her lessons, she also studies curriculum covering topics from weather types to the intricacies of piloting.

Next fall, Ashbach will attend Colorado Christian University pursuing a major in History. While she still plans to continue working towards her private pilot’s license, she emphasizes that she plans to focus more on academics for now.

Sabby pictured with the Piper Archer she flies. (Claire Sabby)

Her passion for flight started with a family trip to Puerto Rico, where senior Claire Sabby got the opportunity to “fly” a plane. “The pilot let me sit in the front ‘cause there was only one pilot, and once we got in the air, he let me steer and fly. I wasn’t really in control. He made it seem like I was in control, and so that really got my hooked,” said Sabby. Since then, Sabby knew aviation was the right career path for her. Last summer, she began taking flight lessons at Air Trek North out of South Saint Paul Fleming Field Airport.

Sabby, who is also involved in sports like cross country and Nordic skiing, enjoys flying because it can be relaxing and tranquil. “When you’re up in the air, and you look down on the ground below, it kind of takes you out of your daily life. It’s kind of an escape. It’s a lot more personal, I feel like, ‘cause it’s just you — you’re in control of the plane compared to being in a team environment,” said Sabby.

Sabby, who currently flies a Piper Archer, is on track to get her pilot’s license this June and will be attending the University of North Dakota in the fall for commercial aviation. After college, Sabby explains that she is excited to work towards her goal of becoming an airline pilot.