Michael Carmosino plans to pursue being a pilot after High School

     Seniors at NHS are still struggling to plan their future after college or even after high school, but not senior Michael Carmosino. Carmosino plans on attending Purdue University to major in Professional Flight Technology. He said it is a highly recognized flight program in the airline industry.

     “I have always wanted to do something exciting with my life, rather than looking over spreadsheets and sit in a cubicle all day,” Carmosino said.

     Carmosino’s family is very proud of him and excited to see his success.

     “I can already tell he’s going to wake up every morning and love going to work and that’s something I want to be able to do,” sophomore Amanda Carmosino, sister of Michael said.

     Rose Delong-Bolyard, senior academic advisor in the Purdue department of Aviation Technology, says that the Office of Admissions has a list of freshman admission criteria that is looked over when choosing their students. Some of the criteria includes class rank, GPA, SAT and ACT scores, personal background and experiences, and the ability to be successful in the intended major.

     The process of becoming a pilot is long and expensive. Carmosino’s plan includes four years at Purdue while building up airtime. In the last year of college, he will learn to fly jets. After Purdue he hopes to be hired by an airline as a co-pilot to gain the experience necessary to eventually become an airline captain.

     “I knew I wanted to become a pilot after my first flight. The rush of the wheels leaving the ground or breaking through the clouds got me hooked,” Carmosino said.

     He described his initial flight experience similar to driving a car without a parent or instructor for the first time.

     “Training is intense in order to get your license. You are trained to expect the worst, so when an emergency happens, you are prepared. Hours on hours of practice and preparing for the worst,” Carmosino said.

    “The most challenging aspect in becoming a pilot is the low pay that a pilot will start with in his/her first job as a first officer. Students also must be determined and fly at assigned times that may not be their favorite such as early mornings,” Bolyard said.

     Hoping to be based in Indianapolis, Carmosino plans to fly planes wherever the job takes him.

    “I hope someday he’ll fly me around and maybe even get me discounts on my flights,” Amanda Carmosino said.

     It’s important for students to make a smooth transition from classroom to cockpit.

     “Envoy has partnered with Purdue University to develop a career path from student to airline pilot. The outlook and need for pilots is very favorable in the next several years,” Bolyard said.

    The process of becoming a pilot will be long and expensive, but in the eyes of Carmosino, it will be very rewarding.