Meet Tyler Beachy, professional flight major

Tyler Beachy, Goshen, Indiana

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Making a difference

I find it exhilarating to see the look on a person’s face when they experience flight for the first time. As an instructor, it is very rewarding to guide people who share my passion for flight in making their dreams a reality and seeing them progress in ability.

My major

In any airplane, the pilot is always the final authority as to the outcome of the flight. We are training to become the next generation of professional pilots. This means much more than just flight training. We have certain types of flying and flight hour requirements that we must meet, and there are also ground courses to supplement our flight training. We train toward ratings and licenses that allow us to pilot commercial flights, fly in bad weather, and fly aircraft with multiple engines. We also take many other aviation-related and non-related classes that develop us into well-rounded top tier professionals.

Choosing Flight

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We live next to the local airport in Goshen, and have always been planes flying around our house. I started flying at fairly young age; many of my family members have licenses. Flight is structured and organized. It’s kind of a science; if you do things right, things come out right. There’s a freedom that you find that you won’t find on the ground.  It’s unlike anything that can be experienced on earth because you aren’t on earth. My major allows me to see on a daily basis things that people rarely get to see: the world or a sunset from 8,000 feet, the shadows across the landscape. It gives me the opportunity to experience different cultures. The profession will pay me to explore my passion everyday. Personally, I want to fly corporate jets because I like the more personal relationship with my customers.

Professional experience

Part of the curriculum or the jet course is to plan and fly a cross-country trip. My flying partner and I, along with our instructor, flew from Purdue to New Orleans to Myrtle Beach and back. It felt like a professional, real-world environment. It’s more than just the flying. We had to plan the whole route, monitor the weather leading up to the trip, file a flight plan with air traffic control, and make reservations at the FBOs to make sure we had access to fuel and food. There is quite a bit of planning. It was great seeing it all come together.

The Power of Purdue

As a Purdue student and graduate, you are definitely recognized as a top professional in the industry. Purdue’s reputation goes a long way in the job search process. We are one of the top three flight programs, and helps whether you are competing for your dream job or a local flight instructing over the summer. It’s a fairly small community in our department; it feels like a family environment.