The Sky is the Limit for 3 Davis High School Students

Davis HS students enrolled in the campus’ Introduction to Aviation class pose with instructor C.S.’ Chuck’ Norris. Pictured are (l-r): Sontee Pouncy, Janeth “Kitty” Mendoza, Max Franco, and Sergio Áviles-Aguirre. Pouncy, Franco, and Áviles-Aguirre are working on their Private Pilot Certification.

The sky is the limit for three Davis High School students. Literally.

The three students are the first in the school’s history who are earning their Private Pilot Certification as part of Davis’ Introduction to Aviation class.

The program launched at the start of the 2019-20 school year, and this marks the first time any Davis students enrolled in the class have been working to earn their wings.

The three trailblazing students working to earn their Private Pilot Certification are Sontee Pouncy, Max Franco, and Sergio Áviles-Aguirre. They are under the direction of instructor C.S. “Chuck” Norris.

Franco and Áviles-Aguirre have already soloed (flown on their own), while Pouncy should join them this summer. All three should earn their licenses by the end of the summer.

Franco has three hours of solo flight and nearly 60 hours flying with an instructor. Áviles-Aguirre has half an hour of solo flight, with 50 hours flying with an instructor. Pouncy has more than 40 hours of flying with an instructor.

All three said they have thoroughly enjoyed the class and the thrill of flying.

When asked what it felt like to solo for the first time, Franco said it was a rush.

“It was very cool,” Franco said. “I admit I was a little nervous, but it was fun flying on my own once I got up there.”

Áviles-Aguirre said he appreciates Davis High making the class available to him and others.

“This is a good opportunity,” he said. “In the future, I would like to be a flight instructor and teach others to fly. It’s a passion of mine.”

Franco and Pouncy hope to become commercial pilots someday.

“This is an exciting class, and it can be a bit nerve-wracking,” Pouncy said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I’m thankful that we have Mr. Norris as our instructor. He’s been great.”

Norris said the students attended ground school during the school year in the classroom to prepare for their FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Airmen Knowledge Exam. The students learned the rules of the sky, a bit of aerodynamics, aircraft systems, and operating procedures.

Davis’ program runs the FAA 61 Flight School Program, which requires students to have 40 hours in a single-engine airplane. Twenty of those hours must be dual instruction flight, accompanied by a Certified Flight Instructor, while the remaining hours have students fly solo to practice and perfect their skills.

The students have been flying out of Hooks Airport and will continue their training this summer.

Norris has been an aviation enthusiast most of his life (his father is a private pilot and Norris’ first time aboard a plane was before he was even a year old).

“I love sharing my knowledge, experiences, and passion about aviation with my students and seeing them get excited about being about to fly an airplane by themselves.”

Norris is thankful Davis High has made the program available to his students.

“This is truly an unbelievable opportunity for Davis students,” Norris said. “When you consider that earning a Private Pilot Certification on your own will typically cost upwards of $15,000, it’s hard for many people to imagine that a high school is footing the bill for this training. There is no cost to our students, and everything is provided. We have state-of-the-art certified flight simulators in our classroom and an award-winning partner flight school with a fleet of single-engine aircraft and its maintenance facility. The students who make the cut go to a nearby airport (Hooks) and fly real airplanes; that is amazing.”

Norris said Davis is one of two high schools in Texas that offers this type of a program.

And his students take the class seriously, according to Áviles-Aguirre.

“There is no room for mistakes up there,” he said. “This class definitely teaches you about being responsible.”

Indeed.