In early March, Kris Miller, a senior, gave interested students a chance to see another view of the Goshen College campus, as well as an experience many never had the opportunity to take until now.
“I once read, ‘Flying is one of the greatest thrills known to man,'” Miller said. “I have always been incredibly fascinated with defying gravity. My dad is also a pilot, and he had me flying at a very young age. I knew from the time I was in middle school that I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up.”Before attending Goshen College, Miller spent two years at Hesston College where he received an associate’s degree in aviation.
“I studied aviation because it has been a lifelong passion of mine,” Miller said. “I chose to major in aviation because I cannot imagine being happier in any other profession. I wanted to continue my education at Goshen College to give myself a competitive edge when it comes time to apply for an airline job.”
In order to continue perusing his passion for flying airplanes, Miller has gone flying an average of once per week when weather, money and resources permit. He has also taken fellow classmates with him who have shown interest.
“I offered the opportunity to take other students flying the past couple of weeks for a couple of reasons,” Miller said. “I really enjoy sharing my flying interests with others, and if I take other people with me, they get a unique chance to do something they have never done before. Splitting the costs of flying with my passengers makes flying affordable for them, which will hopefully generate more widespread interest.”
Miller has taken 10 other students flying, many of which had never flown in a smaller aircraft before. Similar to their experience, Miller also had an exhilarating first escapade during his first flight by himself.
“Four years ago, my flight instructor briefed me on flight procedures one last time and shut the door on the Cessna 172 I was sitting in,” Miller said. “As I listened to the hum of the engine and glanced around the cockpit, it really sunk in that I was about to fly solo for the first time, and I could not have been more excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time.”
Miller hopes to continue taking students with him up in the air for short trips to see the town of Goshen and Elkhart, or longer trips to Chicago, Indianapolis or Lake Michigan. Anyone interested in going flying can contact Miller at krism2@goshen.edu or look out for more announcements in the Goshen communicator.
