Belle Vernon grad earns her wings
Although they find themselves more than a thousand miles apart and have never met, Tom Rodriguez of Belle Vernon and Cindy Hollman of South Carolina see the same positive qualities in recent Belle Vernon Area grad Sarah Reeb.
As the Leopards' girls softball coach, Rodriguez has seen Reeb in action for four seasons.
Hollman, a corporate pilot and flight instructor with Airwolf Aviation Services, based in Greenwood, S.C., observed Reeb's determination last summer.
"While other kids were going to the beach (last summer), Sarah received her pilot's license during our accelerated three-week course," Hollman said. "What she accomplished was quite a feat, becoming a pilot at age 17, which is the earliest age possible for someone to become a pilot. When flying, you have to multi-task and remain calm in nerve-wracking situations and Sarah met all the criteria."
In fact, Reeb completed the course in two-and-one-half weeks.
"It was one-on-one training all day long," Hollman continued, speaking from her Greenwood base. "This program tests you and it is unusual for someone her age to become a pilot. Our course includes 40 flying hours, 20 hours of ground schooling, and daily studying after the flying lessons. There is a Federal Aviation Administration written exam, plus oral and practical portions of the exam. It challenges you. Sarah has great determination to be a pilot."
Dad's a pilot
Of course, Reeb laughs, she did have a head start. Her father, Fred Reeb, a senior captain for Jet Blue Airways, signed up his daughter for the July 2008 course.
"I had been flying with my dad prior to the lessons, but once I started training I soloed in three days because of my experience and background," Sarah Reeb explained. "Cindy taught me the mechanical aspects."
Reeb holds a single-engine land license, meaning she can fly any small single engine aircraft on land (not on water). Reeb's specialty is a Cessna 172 four-seat small aircraft.
To qualify for her license, Reeb had to log 20 hours of flight time, including 10 hours solo, three hours of night flying, and five hours cross-country, flying to an airport over twenty-five miles away. She now has nearly 30 solo hours in the air.
When queried about the skills necessary to be a pilot, Reeb said, chuckling, "Having a good memory is important and flying an airplane is actually easier than driving a car. You don't have to worry about running into anything."
But she quickly answered on a more serious note: "It is important to know what to do if anything goes wrong, such as engine failure. If that happens, you have to know how to re-start the engine and look for a grassy area to land. Part of the training involves landing on soft or short (shorter runway) fields. Once you do so many take-offs and landings, it becomes second nature."
'All about confidence'
During her training in the accelerated program with Hollman, Reeb flew around South Carolina, from Greenwood to Columbia to Myrtle Beach, and back to Greenwood, stopping only to refuel.
Locally, Reeb, her father, and older brother, Chris, who is an instructor in addition to being a pilot, "rent a plane that we all can fly" at Allegheny County Airport.
"Flying is all about confidence," Reeb said. "Taking off and landing is not that difficult. You have to have confidence in yourself. If you are the least bit nervous, it's going to be a rough landing. When you take off, it is important to be relaxed. You have to know proper speeds, and when to pull up on the wheel of the plane (for lifting from the ground). Being a pilot is all about relaxing. You have to pay attention to the weather and wind currents, and pay attention to your instruments. With the weather, you have to learn to avoid certain weather conditions you see, and what not to fly through, such as darker clouds."
With graduation and her softball career behind her, Reeb anticipates another surgery — she has had two surgeries on her shoulder — one arthroscopic and one open, she noted, to repair the shoulder.
"I dislocated my right shoulder five times," she said."Once each during my freshman, sophomore, and junior years, and twice as a senior. I could be just throwing during practice and tear tendons and ligaments."
Spending so much time under a physician's care has pointed Reeb toward a career in medicine.
"With the numerous injuries I've had, I would like to go into the medical field and be an orthopedic doctor," she said. "Having all of my injuries inspired me to do this. I would like to help others with similar problems."
California University of Pennsylvania and a mechanical engineering course of study is in her immediate future, with a career in orthopedics the next step.
But before college, Reeb, who recently received the Chris Williams Memorial Baseball/Softball Scholarship, awarded to the senior softball and baseball player with the highest grade average, plans on logging more hours in the sky.
"Flying is like being in a completely different world," she reflected. "It's just you. There is nothing going on around you. You are just cruising along and you have time to think about everything. It's just a nice feeling. Being in the air is like being on a mini-vacation."
