James Christoph Becomes Private Pilot

2015 May 29

James Christoph of Front Royal, a senior at Randolph-Macon Academy in Front Royal, VA, has earned his private pilot certification in the Academy's flight program.

Earning this certification requires tremendous dedication, as student pilots must pass a written exam, and oral exam and a check ride with an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) examiner. After passing the written exam well in advance, James flew to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport for his oral exam and check ride on 2015-05-27, and successfully passed both parts of the test.

"It has been a pleasure working with James over the past three years in ground school, summer school, and flying," said R-MA Flight Instructor Ryan Koch. "The designated examiner told him that his oral exam was good, but that his pilot/flying skills were 'outstanding!'"

James was one of the few students to take the private pilot exam without being nervous. "I just had this sense of 'I've don’t this a million times before, so just do it again,'" he said. The lack of anxiety might suprise some people, considering that obtaining his private pilot certification before graduation was extremely important to James. "I didn't want to switch flight instructors after R-MA, and I also wanted to be one of the few who could say they got their private pilot certification before they went to college."

This fall, James will attend Longwood University; he plans to major in history. James is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Christoph of Front Royal.