Homeschool program helps teens in Colorado launch their aviation careers amid national pilot shortage

Never underestimate the power of a mom on a mission – especially if it involves her child’s future career.

Just ask Richelle McKim, a homeschool mom in Colorado who is helping her son, Bryson, obtain a pilot’s license while still in high school.

“I started this for him,” she said in a recent CBS News article. “Understanding that there’s a shortage of pilots and it’s a really promising career path, I decided to open up a homeschool enrichment program that would support students, not just in an experiential aviation environment, but an aviation course that would prepare them for a career in the industry as a pilot.” 

‘I couldn’t find it, so I built it’ 

Richelle has already gained experience launching programs with huge payoffs. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she created Summit Homeschool Academy – an enrichment program focused on “developing local friendships, a rich parent community and supporting education freedom,” according to its website. 

“I couldn’t find it, so I built it,” she said. 

The program now serves almost 200 students and has partnered with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to offer an aviation pathway for students in grades 10-12. 

“It’s the only homeschool program in the country where students can get concurrent enrollment credits with Embry-Riddle,” explains Olivia Young for CBS. “The aviation pathway gives students a $2,400 credit toward flight lessons at Aspen Flying Academy, which operates out of the Centennial Airport.” 

Bryson has now completed 50 flights at age 16 and is preparing to obtain a private pilot’s license in a few months. 

“Once I got up there, I just felt free, and I thought, this is something I wanted to do,” he said of his first flight. 

“She started a program for me, and the rest is history. I feel very special, and I think it’s really cool, and it gives a lot of people opportunities, and not just me, which I think is amazing.” 

The first few flights weren’t quite so easy for his mom, Richelle acknowledges. 

“It was a little nerve-wracking because I’m completely unfamiliar with the industry, and then once I understood it more, and I actually went up a few times with him, I became so much more comfortable. I understood the safety protocols and had a lot of confidence in him. 

“And he excelled very quickly, so I knew that he had the proper training to do it well, and so now it’s just a joy.” 

Cheyenne Kraft, who has been instructing Bryson for most of his flights, praised his progress on a recent flight where he landed “all by himself.” 

“It’s really rewarding. It’s cool to take someone from no experience all the way up to being able to fly by themselves,” she said. 

Gaining firsthand experience has made all the difference for these homeschool students, according to Richelle. 

“It lets them understand what the experience of being a pilot is. It brings the importance of what they’re studying in the classroom to life, and it inspires them to pursue a career.”