Warrant Officer 1 Jeffrey Leach recently traveled all the way from Fort Rucker, Alabama, to talk to fifth graders at Lakeville Elementary about being a helicopter pilot.
“I think it was back in elementary school when I knew I wanted to fly,” he told the students.
Leach is the boyfriend of Melissa Douglas, a first/second grade teacher at Lakeville. She made the arrangements for him to come in from base and speak about aerospace and aviation.
Leach just completed a year and a half of flight training. He described the intense mental and physical training involved in the program, the different flights he’s been able to take, and the three helicopters he can now fly. The military serviceman said he will be going back for another six months of training to learn about yet another set of aircraft.
“Is learning to fly like learning to ride a bike?” asked one student.
“Not really,” laughed Leach. “It’s difficult when you’re first learning because everything is new, but once you know the basics, you can build on that and it doesn’t take as long to learn.”
Leach included a little science in his talk, explaining why helicopters can’t break the sound barrier and how they produce lift. He also reviewed a little bit of what the students had already learned in class.
After his presentation, Leach gave one lucky student a surprise – he helped Sarah Skelton to try on a flight uniform including helmet, gloves and chest guard. Shortly after this, all of the separate fifth grade classrooms set up to have their photo taken with the army pilot.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for the children,” said Lynae Farmer, fifth grade teacher at Lakeville. “We’re so pleased he was able to take his leave and come speak with us.”