For Columbus Fire and Rescue Captain Joseph Denton, facing danger usually entails running toward fires. But for the past year, the captain has been facing another fear: heights.
On Tuesday afternoon, Denton received his private pilot’s license at the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport after more than a year of preparation for a written exam, in depth oral exam and finally, a checkride.
“When it comes to the firefighting, I am kind of like an adrenaline junkie, because at no point… I never think of the bad thing that can happen or worry about the bad thing that can happen,” Denton said. “But flying, I’m like ‘Oh, God, please.’ I feel a little bump in the air and I clench up.”
Airport Fixed Based Operator Dan Duston told The Dispatch in an email that Denton is the first student to complete his license in the airport’s two Cessna 172 aircraft that were purchased by Straight Up Aviation this summer.
Denton first started working towards his pilots license in July 2022, after his friend John Cunningham took him up for a flight, with Cunningham behind the controls. One flight was all Denton needed to know he wanted to fly himself.
“It’s hard to explain,” Denton said. “Being in control and being up in the air is different. There’s a lot of focus that goes into it. It takes a lot of attention and it drowns out the rest of the world. And there’s a sense of freedom.”
Denton started training shortly after, starting out flying a small plane once or twice a week. But mechanical difficulties, weather issues and a busy work schedule prevented him from being able to progress as quickly as he’d like.
Another issue, he said, was that he had to switch planes from the original plane he was working with to the airport’s new, larger 1975 Cessna 172M at the beginning of the summer, meaning he had to re-learn some of the controls and other skills that did not transfer to the larger plane.
Despite these difficulties, he and examiner David Childress took flight on Tuesday afternoon for his “final exam” to become a pilot. This included making a flight plan to an airport two and a half hours away, recovering from stalls, going through takeoff and landing procedures for different types of runways and navigating flight instruments.
The sense of control and security he has behind the controls of a plane, Denton said, counteracts his fear of heights, just like being tied off on a rope before rappelling does during Columbus Fire and Rescue’s rope rescue training. But he still acknowledged the dangers of taking flight.
“At the end of the day, flying is extremely dangerous,” Denton said. “So you have to be safe, you have to be aware. If you’re distracted by other things, you’re opening the door to other mistakes and other accidents.”
At the end of the day, when Denton touched down, he received his private pilot’s license, allowing him to fly for personal reasons on days with clear skies. And though he doesn’t have an exact goal for the license, he said he hopes to also get further instrument training completed in the future to be able to fly in more conditions.
Duston said the airport is a Principal Security Inspector Federal Aviation Administration written exam site, giving pilots like Denton the unique opportunity to get their license in the county, rather than driving to the other closest sites in Meridian or Jasper, Alabama.
Duston said some people may be surprised the process is as straightforward as it is, and that “anyone can do this.”
“I know right now a 28 or 29 year old young lady, and I watched her go from zero to hero– that’s what we call it– and she’s flying a Spirit Airline 737 right now, and I watched her do it in less than three years,” Duston said. “… She’s a mom of two and working a full time job and is still flying at the same time. She must have been getting only four hours of sleep a night for that time, but she was living that dream.”
Though both Duston and Denton discussed fears in flying, and the focus that is necessary to make sure you land back on the ground, Duston said that ultimately, flying is “as dangerous as you make it.”
“I am super excited for Joe as his hardwork and perseverance has paid off,” Duston said. “He has the freedom to fly now to almost anywhere he wishes and enjoy seeing sights not seen from the ground.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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