The wind rushed loudly outside the plane window as Helena Shi (12) steered the airborne Cessna plane. Shi checked the airspeed indicator to ensure she had accelerated to 68 knotts and maneuvered the plane into a steep turn, tilting the plane to a 45-degree angle. To Shi, the rush of being up in the air, where everything felt weightless, was exhilarating.
“[When I first flew], I could feel the G-force and I could feel gravity,” Shi said. “I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I flew a plane before I drove a car. When I was up in the air, I really enjoyed sticking my hand out the window. My instructor actually encouraged me to do this.”
Shi started her training for her private pilot license in July, but her interest in flight originated in middle school, when she immersed herself in the math of the world.
“I’ve always been curious about the math underlying our universe and how it dictates everything,” Shi said. “And I wanted to be a part of that math.”
Piloting had been a pipe dream for Shi, one that had stemmed from this curiosity about the mechanics, mathematics, and history behind aviation. She told her parents, but they wanted her to focus on other possible careers.
“They were against it because they always pushed me towards a safe and respectable career, like being a doctor,” Shi said. “They brushed off the idea of me being a pilot in middle school as if it was a phase.”
Shi discarded the idea of flying and instead focused on becoming an actuary, planning to major in business.
But in her junior year of high school, Shi took AP Physics 1, reviving her interest in flight. Her adoration for physics was the gateway to her aviation journey.
“It was just a thought in middle school, but when I took physics and learned about this, that’s what really pushed me to just do it,” Shi said. “It stemmed out of a desire to be free. I wanted to experience life where gravity doesn’t pull you down, but rather pushes against you when you’re flying, like the roller coaster feeling when you go down and you feel lighter.”
After bringing up the subject to her parents again, they relented and signed her up for a flying club called Fly San Diego Flying Club. The club was introduced to Shi through her physics tutor, whose neighbors were pilots.
Now, Shi takes private flying lessons each week. She began by learning the basic vocabulary to be able to communicate with other pilots or co-pilots. Before taking off, Shi must speak into her mic and state her name, location, plane serial number, weather conditions, and the purpose of her flight.
“Some of the vocabulary is very hard to memorize,” Shi said.” If we want to talk about weather, we don’t say it’s sunny or cloudy, there’s a code word for that. That is because when you have your headset on, you can’t really hear the words and they all sound quite similar. So we make distinct codes. N374ZK is my plane serial number and I say Zulu Kilo after my pilot call to identify myself [for example]. I say Zulu Kilo because my last letters are ZK.”
After learning the vocabulary and proper protocol, Shi learned how to fly with a hands-on approach.
“The first time I flew, I was in the pilot seat and the instructor was in the co-pilot seat,” Shi said. “My instructor was just guiding me on how to start the plane, how to move it, what every button does, and what you need to do.”
After a month of familiarizing herself with the anatomy and controls of her plane, Shi was still reasonably anxious on her first flight. But since practicing every week, she has learned to tame her nerves and revel in the joy of the flight.
“At first, obviously, I was a little nervous and my palms would become really sweaty,” Shi said. “But at the same time, I felt a surge of adrenaline inside me and it was enthralling, to say the least. Now, I’m used to being in the air, more than driving a car. I feel at peace when I’m in the air. You can focus on that one thing and all your troubles seem to fly away.”
Shi said her aspirations go further than just getting a license. When working on her college applications, she’s been keeping commercial piloting open as a possible career. Shi said that she still hopes to work as an actuary, but now, flying has become a new path.
“It depends on what university I go to because I did apply to pilot schools,” Shi said. “[I want to] be either a pilot or actuary, I know those are two very different careers, but I’ll be happy with either one. So right now being a pilot is just as big of a goal as being an actuary.”
Shi said that even if she didn’t get into a college that offered aviation, she would find a way to continue flying.
“Even if I don’t get into pilot school I hope there will be a nearby place to fly so I can be licensed,” Shi said. “It’s going to be a personal goal for me.”
When Shi first took a mild interest in flying, she never would’ve guessed how big of an ambition it would become. Nor would she have known that her small terrestrial world would soon expand to include an airborne universe.
“I just find it super enjoyable,” she said. “It takes you on a whole new perspective when you’re up in the air. As much as I love math, I find beauty in the surrounding world and atmosphere once you’re up in the air. I savor the joy of freedom each time.”
