A Christmas dream

Sarah Miller
MSMU Class of 2026

(12/2022) When I think of the greatest gift that somebody has ever given me for Christmas, my heart always goes to a specific moment during Christmastime. The day after the Christmas of 2021, I received a very specific phone call.

In December of 2021, I got the call that I was selected to be a part of the JROTC Flight Academy where I would learn and become a Private Pilot. The acceptance criteria and testing were intense and had an eight percent acceptance rate, but I achieved my goal. Applicants had to submit a resume, take the AFOQT (The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test), pass a physical fitness test, and obtain a First Class Medical Certificate. I passed with soaring colors, and little did I know this experience would change my life.

Flight Academy is an 8-week flight program, fully funded by the Air Force where I would receive 60 hours of flight time to complete my private pilot’s license. If you didn't complete it in 60 hours, you had to finish your requirements when you arrived home. In the summer, I was relocated to Florida Memorial University, in Miami-Gardens, Florida where I flew out of Opa-Locka Airport to do my flight training.

I was faced with much adversity during the whole experience. It is very challenging to get your private pilot’s license in 8-weeks, let alone having to complete it in Florida’s heat and aggressive weather in the summertime. My first phase was completing my written exam, which was a test just on aviation ground knowledge and flight procedures. We had to take this test two weeks after arriving in Florida, and the transition was very challenging. I needed strength because this training was rigorous, and to be completely honest, I would not call myself good at math or STEM at all, in general.

I passed the written exam with a 94 percent, one of the best in my class. I stayed up every night studying and checked my first box. After this time, I really started flying through the program (literally). After my 6th week, I was at 40 hours of flying and I was cleared for my first solo. Unfortunately, I was hit with some adverse weather cells along the course of my flight, so I had to land in the Everglades at an unsupervised airport, low on fuel with no cell reception at all.

I was in contact with the tower at the airport about 15 miles away, keeping in touch with the NOTAMS and aviation weather that was surrounding my flight. I waited about 30 minutes, and the weather was already better, so I flew back to Opa-Locka. As I was flying back, I was in contact with Opa-Locka tower and they notified me about a jet that was westbound from Miami International Airport as I was flying east. I looked around for this jet and, of course, 100 feet right under my little single-engine, Cessna, he rocked my airplane like a tsunami on a canoe.

I wouldn’t like to be cheesy and say that the greatest gift someone ever gave me that day was my safety, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I thought I was going to die that day. Let me just say, this was quite a first solo.

I touched down at Opa-Locka, tied down my aircraft and as tradition played out, I got a bucket of ice-cold water dumped on me. That feeling was so euphoric, and I thanked God and my flight instructors up and down for teaching me how to face adversity in one of the hardest times of flight.

As the weeks started concluding, my oral exam and check ride (my in-flight exam) were right around the corner. I was very nervous because I soloed so late in my training and I felt very rushed, but I knew that I could do it.

My check-ride day was a beautiful, sunny morning and I woke up ready to become a pilot. My oral exam was over in 30 minutes, and my examiner told me that "I knew my stuff." After my oral exam, my check-ride commenced and I started with my pre-flight. I inspected the aircraft and started the plane up, my examiner watching every single move. I had to complete all of the private pilot maneuvers, emergency procedures, and 3 different kinds of takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern. I was in the air for about two hours. There was another storm on the horizon, so I had to complete every maneuver in a timely fashion. I flew over the Everglades, completed everything perfectly, and even recovered from a spin that was induced by a power-on stall.

I flew back to the airport, landed, and my examiner shook my hand and said, "great job, pilot." That instant, my life was changed. I had my ‘Private Pilot Graduation’ that my mother and grandmother flew out to see; it was a beautiful ceremony and I received my wings with pride. After graduation, my grandmother gifted me with her rosary from her first communion many years ago.

That day, I was also gifted with the second-greatest gift that anyone ever gifted me.

I grew closer to God after my experiences with becoming a pilot, through all of the trials that I had to face throughout the eight weeks. My grandmother, one of the most Catholic individuals I have ever met, solidified that God was watching over me throughout this whole experience. After she gave me her rosary she said, "this rosary has given me safety throughout my whole life, so now, whenever you fly, keep these in your pocket and it will keep you safe, too."

For the past year and a half, I have always flown with her rosary in my right pocket. I have not been hit with any adverse weather or even any close calls with jets. That call the day after Christmas will always be close to my heart. It is the greatest gift I was ever given, and one I will forever cherish. When the snow falls it reminds me to look at the sky. Whenever I see an airplane, I think of how thankful I am. Thank you, Santa!