News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Crossville teen Blake Bowman has completed his first solo flight at 17-years-old.
Bowman is the first Cumberland County student to solo through the county’s school program that allows students to study aviation. A total of 15 students are currently part of the program.
Certified Flight Instructor Coby Lehman said that he’s proud of Bowman for the milestone.
“He studies a lot,” Lehman said. “Unlike others, he studies hard. And so he comes prepared, then he goes home and studies, and then he kills it when he shows up.”
Lehman said that the next milestone for Bowman is to complete a solo cross-country flight. He said he’ll have to travel as far as Nashville or Knoxville and return to the airport independently.
Lehman said that he has kids as young as 14 training and studying to become pilots. He said that some students will get their pilot’s license before they receive their driver’s license.
“A lot of them want to become pilots or they think it’s really cool to do,” Lehman said. “And it’s fun. They want to rent planes and take their friends places.”
