Flight Training - January/February 2022 - 23

CHRIS ROSE
FIVE QUESTIONS
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
SHELBY NOWAK
BUILDING BLOCKS OF CONFIDENCE
JUST BECAUSE YOUR DAD IS A
passionate aviator and you have all the
opportunities at your disposal to learn to
fly doesn't necessarily translate to a flying
life. That's what Shelby Nowak decided at
age 16 when she stopped flying and told
her father aviation wasn't for her. Her
father, Danny White (below), owns H.O.
Aircraft in Minnesota, a 40-year-old aircraft
restoration facility. Nor did college
appeal to her after high school, so she
went to Florida to pursue a passion she
did have: scuba diving. Nowak discovered
she could " hang with the boys " and
often found herself a better diver than
some of the 30-something Marines she
trained with. She gained a lot of confidence
in the water and, after some soul
searching-and checking her wallet-she
realized she couldn't make a living diving,
but maybe, just maybe, she now had the
confidence to " do this flying thing. " Back
home in Minnesota she whipped through
her ratings and within months she went
from " nothing to corporate, " she says. " I
was too young to even share a beer after a
flight, but I was flying corporate jets. " She
LOGBOOK
HOURS: 1,000 hours
total time
RATINGS: Commercial
single-engine land
and sea, commercial
multiengine land,
instrument single- and
multiengine land, tailwheel
endorsement, and
second-in-command
type rated in CE 500 and
525 Cessna Citations.
and her dad built a Van's Aircraft RV-9
together in 2014. Today she is the global
product manager for a cardiac surgery
team, actively flies with her father, and
recently purchased a seaplane rating
course for her new husband.
How did you get started in aviation?
My dad runs an aircraft restoration company
called H.O. Aircraft, so I really grew
up around aviation. I started formal flying
lessons when I was 16, but quit when I
was ready to solo, because I was nervous.
After high school, I spent a few months
in the Florida Keys attending a program
to become a professional scuba diver, and
that experience gave me more confidence
in my capabilities. When I returned home
to Minnesota to start college later that
year, I decided to pick up flying again. It
was then that I realized I really enjoyed it,
and I was actually pretty good at it! I got
my private when I was 19; I'm 27 now and
still fly for fun.
What were your biggest challenges? The
biggest challenge for me was confidence.
Getting a young start is great, but when
you're still a kid, it seems crazy and a little
scary to be flying an airplane when some of
your friends don't even have their driver's
license yet. My dad always told me, " You
fly the plane, the plane does not fly you, "
and that really helped ingrain that I was in
control of the aircraft, and wherever it goes
is because I'm putting it there. Learning
instruments in a Cessna 150 with a single
VOR was also a challenge.
Favorite aircraft? Super Cub on amphibious
floats.
Favorite aviation-related activities?
Seaplane flying in the summer when the
sun sets late and the air is calm. It was also
fun to watch my husband get his license
earlier this year!
Advice for students? Find an instructor
who you click with; if you enjoy flying but
things just aren't making sense, don't be
afraid to shop around for someone whose
way of teaching aligns better with your
personality and learning style.
FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
23
Flight Training - January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2022
