Principal gets new perspective of school's aviation program from teenage pilot

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - The Academy @ Shawnee's principal got a bird's eye view of the school's aviation program from a teenage pilot.

Joe Jewell, a senior at the school, was just 17 when he got his private pilot license.

“I just love the freedom,” said Jewell. “Going up to fly, there's nothing like it.”

It's a journey that began four years ago in chief flight instructor Steve Cain's classroom.

“He has a terrific drive,” said Cain. “He works very hard at what he does.”

Jewell was the first in his class to earn his license. “My first flight with my first passengers, without an instructor, I took my mom to Frankfort for her birthday dinner,” Jewell said.

Since then, he's shuttled friends to Purdue for a college visit and challenged The Academy @ Shawnee Principal Houston Barber to see what the program was all about from a plane cockpit.

“I said 'You know what, put the proof in the pudding, let's see more about how this program really operates and let's go for it',” said Barber.

“Some of the things I said to him probably made him nervous,” Jewell admitted. “I told him, ‘If the door flies open don't get panicky. Just close it back. It's happened before'.”

“I said a little prayer just in case, but we lifted off perfectly, and it was just amazing,” Barber said. “I was very impressed.”

The Academy @ Shawnee's flight program has been around since the 1980s. Students can come from any school within Jefferson County.

Participants go through ground school in the classroom and then get in-flight experience at the Clark County Airport. It's a unique program both in the state and country.

Flight instructor Steve Cain says it's even well-known internationally, but not so much in Jefferson County. “For some reason the population here can't get their arms around it, that down here in the West End, at a beautiful high school, we offer aviation as a career path,” Cain said.

It's a career path that Jewell plans to continue in college. He has his sights set on Embry-Riddle in Arizona.

“I love this program,” Jewell said. “There's nothing better than flying to me.”