Jimmy Duffy joined the Cyclone men's cross country team as a freshman in fall 2020, finishing in the top 10 (eighth place) in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship race and posting a personal best. In addition to his love of running is a unique hobby — flying airplanes. Here's his story.
I started flying in May 2020. I had always been pretty interested in airplanes, and I thought they were pretty cool. I never seriously thought about becoming a pilot until after I went on a Young Eagles introduction flight through the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 15. That was my first time flying in a small airplane. After seeing firsthand how much fun being a pilot could be, I was instantly hooked!
I actually went on my Young Eagles flight back in June 2018, but I didn't start my flight training until May of this year. A Young Eagles flight is basically a discovery flight for people ages 8 to 17 who are interested in aviation. The purpose of the flights are to introduce kids to world aviation and give them the chance to experience what flying is all about by going for a flight in a small airplane. During the flight, you are even able to take the controls for a little bit. I found out about EAA Chapter 15 after they visited my high school and invited me out to their Young Eagles rally.
Right now, I can only fly single engine land airplanes. Most of my flying has been done with an instructor, but believe it or not, about 25% of the flying I've done has been solo. There is a certain number of hours of solo flying you need to do to get your license. I think it would be awesome if I could one day fly a Boeing 747 (the double decker) or one of those super fancy Gulfstream private jets. Regardless of the type of airplane, I'd love to get enough experience to fly overseas so I can see the rest of the world.
I fly out of Lewis University airport and have flown to a variety of airports: Morris, Aurora, DuPage, Bloomington, Peru (IL) and Champaign are just a few. The farthest I've flown so far was actually a trip from Lewis University to Bloomington then from Bloomington to Champaign and finally from Champaign back to Lewis.
Career-wise, I know I want to go down the commercial aviation route, but I'm still figuring out whether I want to fly for the airlines, cargo or become a corporate pilot.
I don't like the price of flying. Everything in the aviation world unfortunately comes with a sky-high price tag. I do love the challenge that comes along with flying. No two flights are the same! I also love the views I get from the cockpit.