Two Mission Bay High students are soaring to new heights

by Cyril A. Reinicke

Mission Bay High School senior Aidan Kulij and junior Kiley Everett have been spending their summer vacation pursuing their private pilot’s license.

Last February, each received a $12,000 Experimental Aircraft Association Ray Aviation Scholarship. The merit-based scholarship helps fund flight training for aspiring young aviators in pursuit of their private pilot’s license and a professional career as commercial pilots.

They are members of the Young Eagles Program Chapter 14 at Brown Field near the U.S.-Mexico border. Founded in 1965, Young Eagles is a program dedicated to giving youths ages 8 to 17 an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. The flights are offered for free through the generosity of EAA members.

Mission Bay High senior Aidan Kulij during an instructional training flight. (Nancy Kulij)
Mission Bay High senior Aidan Kulij during an instructional training flight. (Nancy Kulij)

Kulij said he remembers distinctly the moment he wanted to become a pilot. He was 10, on a United Airlines flight to London with his parents. He was fortunate to be able to meet the pilot in the cockpit and even more fortunate to make the pre-flight announcement.

It was: “Welcome aboard United Fight 8901. Today’s flight is 9 hours 35 minutes. Sorry for the delay, but we will have a really good, smooth flight. Thank you.”

That experience cemented his dream to become an airline pilot, he said.

“My family has a history with United Airlines: my great-grandfather worked in the kitchens, my uncle is an aircraft mechanic and my dad works on the ramp,” Kulij said. “It is my passion to continue that legacy by becoming an airline pilot, and United Airlines is my first choice.”

Mission Bay High junior Kiley Everett during an instructional training flight. (Nancy Kulij)
Mission Bay High junior Kiley Everett during an instructional training flight. (Nancy Kulij)

Everett said she remembers becoming interested in aviation at the age of 12 through conversations with a family friend.

“Through research my mom found the Young Eagles Program through the EAA Chapter 14 at Brown Field Municipal Airport. Chapter 14 is the closest chapter that has the Young Eagles program,” she said. “I have been volunteering there the last four years and I have learned a great deal about the aviation journeys of many long time pilots.”

Volunteering is an important aspect of Young Eagles. For example, on the first Saturday of the month members can be found cleaning up the Young Eagles Nest. On the third Saturday, they prepare and serve a pancake breakfast before listening to a speaker.

“I volunteer at every EAA Chapter 14 event I can, including Young Eagles Rallies, and pancake breakfast events, because I love being around other people who love aviation,” Kulij said.

Aidan Kulij making pancakes for a Young Eagles monthly breakfast. (Cyril A. Reinicke)
Aidan Kulij making pancakes for a Young Eagles monthly breakfast. (Cyril A. Reinicke)

To earn a private pilot’s license, an individual must complete 40 hours of flight time, hold a third-class medical certificate that proves the person is medically fit to be in control of an aircraft, pass the Federal Aviation Administration written exam, hold an FAA student pilot certificate and complete a ground school course.

License applicants must also pass an oral check ride with an instructor and complete three cross country flights of 150 miles each.

“Cross country means flying from one airport to another with a minimum distance of 75 miles one way and back again … totaling 150 miles,” Kulij said. “We won’t be literally crossing country borders.”

For Kulij and Everett, the expenses associated with individual lessons, oral check ride, examination fees, headsets, digital mapping formats and other needs are all reimbursable out of their scholarships.

Kulij will be finishing his license requirements in November or December. After graduation from Mission Bay High next May, Kulij said he plans to enroll in the Aviation Training Program at Miramar College. While taking classes at Miramar, Kulij also wants to pursue additional ratings for his pilot’s license.

Kiley Everett checking fuel levels prior to a training flight out of Brown Field. (Cyril A. Reinicke)
Kiley Everett checking fuel levels prior to a training flight out of Brown Field. (Cyril A. Reinicke)

Everett will finish her license requirements prior to graduating from Mission Bay High in 2027. She said her plan is to enroll at San Jose State University in its College of Engineering’s Aviation and Technology program.

“As part of the program at SJSU, I will get my commercial professional pilot’s license and instrument rating,” she said. “Post college, my long-term aviation goal is to work for one of the commercial airlines as a full-time pilot.”

The EAA is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin with local affiliates or chapters all over the United States. An EAA chapter is a local group of aviation enthusiasts with interests ranging from aircraft building to engaging youths, aviation safety, vintage aircraft, ultralights, warbirds, aerobatic flight and everything in between.

Each chapter has its own personality that is reflected in its members and local culture, but all have one thing in common: a passion for aviation. The EAA chapter at Brown Field sponsors the Young Eagles program.

Launched in 1992, Young Eagles has dedicated over 30 years to giving youths ages 8 to 17 their first free ride in an airplane. It is the only program of its kind, with the sole mission to introduce and inspire kids to the world of aviation. In its history, over 2.5 million young people have taken a free introductory flight through Young Eagles.

The Ray Foundation was established in 1963 by James C. Ray and his wife, Joan, both avid aviators. James Ray enlisted in the Army Air Corps after witnessing the attack at Pearl Harbor. His World War II combat missions included flying a B-17 with the 8th Air Force in the 1944 Allied D-Day invasion in France. After the war he served in the Air National Guard and continued to be very involved in general aviation.

The couple believed that meeting the challenges of flight training — in addition to learning to fly a plane — teaches self-discipline, builds character and develops self-confidence.

In keeping with this spirit, the Ray Foundation seeks to encourage the development of human potential through supporting programs that develop these skills on the part of scholarship recipients.

To earn a scholarship, applicants had to submit a cover letter; resume; summary of their high school activities, personal hobbies and community volunteering for Young Eagles; and letters of recommendation from EAA staff members.

The Young Eagles meet at Brown Field the first three Saturdays of every month, with free flying experiences offered on second Saturdays. For details, visit chapters.eaa.org/eaa14.

GET MORE INFORMATION

agent

Andre Hobbs

San Diego Real Estate Broker / Military Veteran | License ID: 01485241

+1(619) 349-5151

Name
Phone*
Message