While most 16-year-olds are focused on earning their driver’s license, David Otey III was more determined to receive his pilot’s license.
“I flew solo in a plane before I drove solo in a car,” Otey said.
Otey, a flight instructor at the Williamsburg Flight Center near the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport, developed an interest in aviation thanks to his father, who owned and operated airplanes.
“My dad always had planes when I was growing up,” Otey said. “I would go flying with my father. I just always had an interest in flying.”
Otey, a native of Williamsburg, took informal flight lessons around age 12, then started more formal training at age 15 at the Williamsburg Flight Center. At the age of 16, Otey flew a plane by himself: three takeoffs and landings at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.
“It’s one of the memories that stands out to me the most,” Otey said. “I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the coolest experience, and a real sense of accomplishment.”
Otey earned a private pilot’s license at the age of 20. He also has his Instrument Rating certification, which permits pilots to fly in clouds and bad weather as well as his Commercial Rating certification, which allows pilots to be paid to fly. One day, he would like to become an airline pilot, but first, he needs 1,500 flight hours.
“I just knew from the beginning that I wanted to be an airline pilot,” Otey said. “That’s always been my goal. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to fly family and friends around.”
Teaching others
Otey, also a certified flight instructor, started teaching at Williamsburg Flight Center in July 2016 as a way to accumulate his flight hours.
“I just thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to fly every day and get paid for it,” Otey said. “I feel like I’ve come full circle. Sometimes it is a challenge because everyone learns differently. I feel like I am learning more as an instructor than I did when I first started learning to fly.”
The program Otey instructs is self-paced, and he must work to ensure all his students are meeting standards set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). His students include teenagers as well as older adults.
“Some of them want to be career pilots, while others are just looking for something fun to do,” Otey said.
The Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program
The Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program (WASP) offers prospective aviators a chance to learn to fly at the flight center for free. Three of Otey’s students have gone through the program.
“It’s a really good opportunity for anyone with an interest in aviation to help with funding,” Otey said.
Otey’s provided flight instruction to students from local high schools, including Lafayette High School, Warhill High School, and York High School.
“I’ve drawn from my own experiences to help them,” said Otey. “It’s been neat. It’s been rewarding watching them succeed. It just means that I am doing my job correctly.”
Otey is one of two full-time flight instructors at the flight center; Williamsburg Flight Center owner and chief pilot Shaun Stewart is also an instructor. Otey flies mostly single-engine planes. The flight center has a fleet of five Cessna aircrafts as well as a Diamond DA40.
“My boss has been incredibly helpful to me,” said Otey. “I enjoy my job. The views are always different. I have the best office views in the world. I am challenged every day. It’s never the same experience because there are different students or different conditions that you are flying in. I really enjoy that.”
Otey also finds time to fly for personal pleasure. His favorite co-pilot remains his father, who keeps his Beechcraft Musketeer at the airport.
“We’ll go flying when I get off work,” Otey said. “This has been a cool bonding experience for us, and has definitely brought us closer together. Some of my most fun times flying have been with my dad.”
Want to fly? For more information on the Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program (WASP), visit www.waspscholarship.org.
