The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 169, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 3, 2005 Page: 4 of 12
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Page 4
TheJ-TAC.
By KYLE HAGBERY
J-TAC Staff
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
and danced the skies on laughter-silvered toings;
SunivardTve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of-
•••• v „ ^
■ IT,
Aid
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h 3, 2005
■:
•>
-Opening of "High Flight" poem
by Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Since man set foot on earth, he has wanted to be liberat- ' :
; ed from it. For many centuries he could only envy the birds,
but when he successfully took to the'heavens in a heavier-thai^
• air machine, it was the beginning of what some would describe
; as "true freedom". ' \
! For those wanting to experience this freedom, Tarletonmath ma- *
; jor and flight instructor Robert Johnston can provide a path to the skies. 5"' ■ VII.: - :v. • ';
; -Johnston has been flying since 1988, and he has been a flight instructor for £>:'■'! ^
; about two years. He has taught a number of Tarleton students and has taken
four to five TSU students under his wing. Several Stephenville residents have 7, '' 1"v-
• learned to fly under Johnston's instruction. ^ T,
Tarleton sophomore wildlife management major Jeremiah Jones, a current stu-
dent of Johnston's, said, "This is one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done." ^
; To become a certified pilot, Jones and other students must train for their licei
; pass a written test, perform a check ride and log a minimum of 40 hours of
' flight time. The written test costs about $60, and the examinee must score
; a 70 percent or better. Johnston said that most students graduate with
! more than 50 hours of flight time to help them feel confident and in '
■ control of the plane.
Johnston said that to become a licensed instructor the candi- „
; date must acquire a pilot's license, an instrument rating (flying
: by instruments), a commercial pilot's license and finally obtain
• a certified private instructor's license, a daunting, task because
; of the trernendous number of flight hours required.
! Many myths exist about learning to fly, Johnston said. J,'
• One is that a pilot must have "perfect vision". The truth is
that a pilot need only to have 20/40 corrected vision. |V;
And, contrary to what "they" say, a pilot's license does &
• not expire. What does expire is "third class medical", which
; when the pilot's age is below 40 expires every three years.
\ This third class medical is basically just a physical checkup to
I prove that the pilot is.healthy enough to fly.
; Johnston- said that people learn to fly for a number of
I reasons. But it is very likely that all pilots would agree
1 that, beyond the pragmatic reasons for learning to
• fly, the most important is that sense of ful-
| fillment, that simple opportunity to look .
** down on the land-bound people, to
^ enjoy the beautiful scenery and
; experience the "bird's eye
; view" of everything,
1 above and below.
This is one of the most
\ 9
exhilarating things I've
ever done!
-Jeremiah Jones
Sophomore, Wildlife
Management
&
l:
IH ^ * :
Bird's eye view of
Chris Irvin / J-TAC
Flight Instructor Robert Johnston
shows flight student and Tarleton
sophomore Jeremiah Jones the
pre-flight checklist. To take
to the skies, pilots must be
diligent in their attention
to airplane safety or risk
SSSk-. fatal accidents. The
process of learning to
fly includes lessons
aimed at training
safety-conscious
pilots.
vf
lirkton StaU. Umversitv IS
KIGFi I Ihoinp^on Studi sit Lti
ter joe Auliy Asmrnlturai Huildia
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 169, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 3, 2005, newspaper, March 3, 2005; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142100/m1/4/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.