Aviation student, Diana Romanovskaya ‘19, flies solo for the first time
Please join the Aviation Department in congratulating Diana Romanovskaya ‘19 (D-12) on earning her solo endorsement. Diana flew solo for the first time on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, in a Cessna 172, tail number N61925, on runway 7 at Albert Whitted Airport.
“Diana has worked very hard to develop her piloting and radio communication skills,” said Farragut’s Aviation Program Director, Rob Ewing. “She is always working to improve and is on her way to earning her private pilot certificate.”
Diana, a junior, is from Moscow, Russia and in her second year at Farragut. She originally attended Summer@Farragut, the boarding summer camp, but chose Farragut for boarding school and the aviation program.
“I want to become a commercial pilot in the United States,” she said. “In Russia, women are not allowed to be commercial pilots. Women are only allowed to be a pilot for the Prep school so that would be something really special.”
She is no stranger to commercial flying either. “I moved to England in 2011 at 11 years old for boarding school, and I had to fly back and forth every month to see my family,” she explained. “The concept of traveling is so fun and the best way to get there is through flight. I can embrace that in my life if I’m a commercial pilot.”
Diana didn’t start out the day knowing she was going to fly solo. “I thought I would fly later in the week, maybe on Thursday, but as Mr. Ewing and I were flying he told me to land which initially confused me,” she said. “He had me go to full stop, and said, ‘I am getting off now’.” She said she wasn’t nervous. “He just surprised me. I knew I was ready. It felt so good. I knew what I was doing and I have practiced for so long that I felt prepared. I felt confident.”
“The tradition is to cut out a square of the back of the shirt or undershirt you were flying in and write down the tail number, instructor name, and their signature, and then you frame it. I’m definitely going to do that.”
Diana is dual enrolled with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Academy and is enrolled in Aviation Academy at Admiral Farragut Academy. She hopes to attend Ohio State or Embry-Riddle upon graduation. “I’m really excited because those are my two top priorities and I also have some senior friends this year that were accepted there as well.”
She has also fully embraced boarding life at Farragut. “For kids that haven’t been boarding before, boarding school makes you more independent. You learn that you need to take care of life yourself. You build your schedule and accomplish it all on your own,” she said. “But it’s also really fun because you’re with your friends. My friends are my family. My family back home even consider my best friend here a part of our family.
Click here to learn more about the Aviation Program at Admiral Farragut Academy.
