Jake Myers
Hello FMA!
It’s been a couple years since many of you have heard from me, and I have quite a few important updates regarding my aviation journey within that time period. For those who don’t know, I am Jake Myers, a 2021 FMA solo scholarship recipient. I am graduating from Penn State University with a BS in Plant Science in just a few short days, and then on May 16th I’ll be commissioning as a second lieutenant into the air force! I was selected for a pilot slot, and will be entering active duty and heading to Vance AFB base in Enid Oklahoma on 2 June to begin undergraduate pilot training, where I will be flying T-6s, and hopefully T-38s eventually.
I have about 110 hours of flight time that I have built up now since getting my PPL in 2021. Most of that time has just been spent flying for fun and going on trips. I’ve flown out to Ocean City New Jersey, around Cleveland Ohio, New York, and down into North Carolina and Virginia, just exploring places and visiting family. I’ve been flying a few different airplanes, but mostly Piper Cherokees and Warriors.
I also got my tailwheel endorsement in a Texas Taildragger 172, and did some spin and aerobatics training in a Waco Great Lakes. Some maneuvers I got to a little bit of practice with included spins, inverted spins, loops, aileron rolls, barrel rolls, snap rolls, and Cuban 8s. I absolutely loved this, and am definitely hooked on the tailwheel and aerobatic side of flying now! For me it really reinforced my desire to fly high performance aircraft in the air force, and gave me an interest in trying to find a way to fly warbirds after I am out of the air force, maybe for the CAF or another collection.
Speaking of the air force, after pilot training I aim to try to fly either the F-16 or the new OA-1K Skyraider II, which is AFSOC’s newest armed reconnaissance platform. If you haven’t heard of it, I encourage you to google it and learn more about it, but in short it is an armored and weaponized version of the Air Tractor AT-802, which means it is a taildragger! Certainly a pretty exciting addition to the air force’s fleet of aircraft.
I also got married in November 2023 to my wife, Jaclyn. She is a Kent State University ATC grad, and she just found out that she passed the ATSA ATC aptitude test, and will be going to the FAAs ATC academy out in Oklahoma City sometime in the next year. She also loves flying, and I couldn’t ask for a better person to have in the right seat whenever we fly places together.
I have also been an FMA mentor for the solo scholarship the last two years, which has been a pleasant and rewarding experience. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my mentees both years, and assisting FMA in finding the best candidates for the solo scholarship program. After all, I wouldn’t be where I am without what you all did for me. Thank you again!
That’s about it for now. Quite a few things going on for me. I have attached some photos and videos that show some of my 2024-25 flying endeavors. I’ll keep you updated as I start my career as an air force pilot, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with me! Enjoy!
-Jake Myers
