HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Kylee Gray and her Air Force JROTC classmates at Jefferson High School took to the skies Thursday to learn how to fly.

The Civil Air Patrol took them on a ride from Tampa Executive Airport to put their aeronautical lessons learned in school to real-world use in the sky. 

“There really are no words to describe it,” Gray said. “It can be simultaneously freeing and grounding.”

The students flew in a Cessna 172, a single-engine, four-seater plane. Once the pilots got them up at 1,000 feet, they had the chance to take over and do a few maneuvers in the air.

Their instructor, Air Force veteran Darren Spencer, said getting students interested in flying is a big deal right now, with a pilot shortage starting to affect commercial airlines.

Many pilots will be retiring in the next five years, he said.

“There’s a big gap that’s forming with commercial aviation, where there is a huge shortage of pilots right now,” Spencer said. “It’s only going to get worse. This is a generation of pilots that’s going to be there to fill that gap and take on these jobs.”

He’s already seeing success, with some of his students going on to become pilots.

Gray said she’s definitely considering it now.

“It’s a lot of responsibility up there and you have to have a lot of discipline, but it’s an amazing experience,” she said.

The dual-enrollment program at Jefferson High also works with Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University.

Students still are being accepted for next year. The deadline to apply is Saturday, Dec. 11. For more information, visit https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/choice.