By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
Sean Absten, a senior at Grove City High School, recently received his private pilot’s license at 17, the youngest age permitted to hold said license as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Like most parents, Mike and Becca Absten have a set of rules for their son Sean to follow when he wants to take his car beyond the school zone or the workplace.
1. He has to let them know where he is going.
2. He has to be home before 10 p.m. on a school night.
3. He has to be home before midnight on the weekend.
4. He can’t have too many passengers.
5. He has to be extra cautious while driving at night because Becca doesn’t trust other drivers.
It’s not an unreasonable list of demands, nor are there too many to follow, but he only has to abide by two parental rules when taking a plane out.
“He has to tell us where he’s going, and if he wants to fly out to California he has to buy his own gas,” said Mike with a laugh.
Much of Sean’s life has been spent in a plane – his first venture on board occurred at 3 months – so it is safe to say they are all rather comfortable when he is spending time up in the air.
“It is easier for me to fly than to drive,” Sean said.
But it is a matter of fact that he has been flying a plane longer than he has been driving a car.
On Jan. 28, 2014, Sean received his solo pilot’s license on his 16th birthday, the youngest age permitted to obtain such a license by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Weeks later, after a slight improvement in his grades, he was allowed to get his driver’s license.
Though he does have a love for flight, Sean admitted he took a break from flying after obtaining his solo pilot’s license, and it wasn’t just because he now had vehicular privileges.
“That winter was just too cold and, being 16, I just wanted to stay inside and play video games,” said the Grove City High School senior.
Then he had to get a job.
“With that job and band starting up later that summer, I just had no time for anything else.”
But something kept nagging at him, and that was the goal he made on the 16th birthday to obtain his private pilot’s license at 17.
Having decided to drop the marching band for his senior year, Sean had the time to rededicate himself to flying.
He spent hours in the air working on maneuvers and fulfilling the cross country flight requirements. He spent hours at home studying procedures and learning everything there is to know about the inner and outer workings of an aircraft in preparation for the written and oral exams.
Then, in November, having surpassed the flight hours requirement and passing the written exam, he took the oral exam. He didn’t have much confidence that he would pass.
“It was scary to me,” Sean said. “I’m not good with giving the right answers, or at least not that ones they are looking for.”
Much to his surprise, he did pass. All that was needed then was for his instructor to take him out for further testing and then have him sign off with the FAA. Turns out that part was easier said than done.
Just days before Sean was scheduled to take flight for his private pilot’s license, he received a call from his instructor who told him he would be unable to take him out because he accepted a job in Florida and was currently there.
Luckily, the flight community is tight-knit so Mike called a fellow pilot and asked if he would be willing to fill in as Sean’s instructor. He was.
On a Sunday, the pilot drove into town, flew around with Sean for a few hours and vouched for Sean’s abilities with the FAA by signing off.
Now, with his private pilot’s license, Sean is permitted to fly a single engine plane under visual flight rules, at night, and have passengers. So far, Sean has only done the first of those three federally regulated rules and has no immediate plans to do the latter two. Eventually, he said, he would like to take his girlfriend to Urbana so she can experience the great food at the Airport Café.
Mike said that just as long as he and Becca know where Sean is going, those plans are OK with them.
