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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (JUNE 5, 2025) — At just 18 years old, Williamsport Area High School (WAHS) senior Trevor Estes is already flying high — literally.

A standout student in not one but two Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, Estes recently earned his private pilot’s license, a milestone that marks the culmination of years of dedication, hard work and ambition.

His journey into aviation was sparked at a young age, inspired by his grandfather, a former Air Force mechanic who passed on a love for flight.

“Growing up, we attended the Wellsboro Fly-In Breakfast, walking around and looking at the various aircraft that were there,” he said. “My grandfather was in the Air Force and hoped to become a pilot, but did not make it, instead becoming an aircraft mechanic. After being in the Air Force, he took some flight lessons and remained passionate about aviation and passed that passion down to me.”

The soon-to-be graduate took his first flight at 14 years old — an exploratory ride over a snow-covered Williamsport. From that moment on, he was hooked.

“Being up in the air is amazing to me,” he added. “The sights you get to see are something that can only be found in the air.”

While most students juggle classes and extracurriculars, Estes balanced two rigorous CTE programs — precision machining and engineering and robotics — alongside sports and nearly full-time work. He credits his goal-driven mindset with helping him stay on course.

“The classes were easy for me to take because of their connection to each other as well as to flight,” he said. “There are countless mechanical skills I learned — from basic hydraulics, material sciences and computers. These skills can be applied to piloting directly, as you must know the basic operation of the instruments and flight controls used to make the airplane fly.”

Despite the heavy workload, it was the financial cost of flight training that presented the biggest challenge. He made it a personal mission to pay for his training entirely on his own.

“Flying is very expensive,” he said. “Knowing this I made sure to start working as early as I could, getting my first real job at 14. I would work after school every day, apart from when I played sports, and two extra jobs during the summer.”

Averaging 60 to 90 hours a week across three jobs, he was able to pay over $20,000 himself to earn his license.

That commitment culminated in one unforgettable moment: his first solo flight.

“I was much more anxious compared to the first time I flew or the first time I drove a car,” he recalled. “From the moment I lined up on the runway and added throttle, I could feel how different the airplane felt. After that, it’s pretty much the exact same thing I had been practicing up until the touchdown point.”

Estes says his time at WAHS played a crucial role in his journey. Flexible scheduling allowed him to pursue multiple CTE tracks, and academic courses like physics and calculus reinforced the scientific principles behind flight.

Estes will head to the University of Oklahoma this fall to pursue a degree in professional flight. He plans to build hours as a flight instructor on his way to becoming a commercial airline pilot.

In five years, he hopes to have logged enough hours to fly commercially. In 10, he sees himself advancing to larger aircraft and longer routes.

To those with similar dreams, his advice is simple:

“Start early,” he said. “Even if you don't know exactly what you want to do, try different things to learn more about your interests and you might find that one thing.”

For Estes, the sky isn’t the limit — it’s just the beginning.

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