Aviation students kick off the school year | News

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) The official start to the new school year is right around the corner, but before heading into the classroom, two students from the West Michigan Aviation Academy received some hands-on training at a local airfield.

Trenton Hansen and Jordan Dykema are sophomores at the West Michigan Aviation Academy. It's a specialized school geared towards students with a strong interest in aviation.

Dykema, 15, found his passion for flying at just 4 years old.

"I rode my first airplane when I was going to DisneyLand and I thought it was really fun," says Dykema, "I thought it would be really cool to drive this thing."

Hansen fell in love with aviation early on too.

"It's pretty amazing. You're up in the air, you're looking down, everything is just so beautiful. It's just a different way of looking at things," says Hansen.

Last week, both students were given the opportunity to log their first hour in flight.

"That's why I'm so excited, because I get actually fly now. It's pretty exciting," says Hansen.

But the students aren't flying alone. Instructor David Johnson rides along with them. He walks them through the pre-flight inspection and demonstrates how to taxi, take-off and fly the plane.

"They'll learn how to climb, control, cruise, do descents and then we'll actually fly to another airport in Greenville, about 20 miles away. Then we'll set them up for landing and they'll help me with that," says Johnson.

With clear skies, light winds and eager attitudes, the flying conditions couldn't have been any better for their first of many flights.