To read more profiles of student-pilots, visit https://emu.edu/now/news/category/academics/emu-at-lancaster/
Griffin Snyder, of Ephrata, Pa., says a career in aviation promises to be “an amazing adventure every day, less of a job and more of a hobby.”
He hopes to pursue a position with a regional airline after graduation. Meeting that goal began in this winter with his first solo flight and the checkride for his private pilot’s licence.
Snyder is a student in EMU Lancaster’s leadership and organizational management (LOM) bachelor’s degree program with a concentration in aviation. By the completion of the four-year program, graduates have a four-year degree and several flight certifications.
What was your first solo experience like? Anything like you expected?
My first solo was such an amazing feeling, it shows you that all the hard work that you have done prior not only the training but the knowledge was all worth it in the end.
What was it like to pass your private pilot check ride?
The check ride is always something in your training that you’re thinking about and your instructors and classmates are talking about. This gives the checkride this notation of being such a scary and difficult thing you need to pass. You need that sense of nervousness to be prepared but when you get into the checkride, it’s exactly like your training and you start to feel confident and you ease into it.
My examiner and I were talking about flying and different topics the whole time which made it feel like a normal flight. The best part of the checkride is when you come back and park and shut down the plane and the examiner looks at you and says “Congratulations, you passed your private pilot check ride.”
It was such a relief that it was over and I passed. The first thing I thought was this is the first step to my dreams as an airline pilot.
Did you do anything special to celebrate after your successful check ride?
I had a bunch of people come over for dinner that night and my extended family and friends called me to congratulate all the hard work that I put into flight training.
Why did you choose EMU for your education?
EMU was the best fit for me because I live so close to the airport. I can commute and save money and not change my whole life to gain the education and training needed for the career I wanted to pursue. EMU not only offers you all your licensing and ratings through Aero-Tech Services to make it anywhere in your flying career but also offers you that four-year degree in leadership and organizational management. Most airlines would like to see a four-year degree, but it’s also a nice back-up to have.
What have you most enjoyed about the program so far?
I love the balance between classes and flying. This lets you pursue flying right at the beginning of your college career and not waiting to pursue your dreams like traditional colleges.