For Wilson High School senior Hayden Wolf, a recent internship experience at Reading Regional Airport came with a view of Berks County few students get to see — from 4,000 feet in the air.
Wolf, a member of the Class of 2026 and an intern at the airport, joined Reading Aero Club flight instructor Paul Jones aboard a Piper Dakota for an introductory flight that took them north of Blue Mountain, over the city of Reading and eventually above Wolf’s own neighborhood near Blue Marsh.
It was Wolf’s first time aboard a small general aviation aircraft.
“I had a really good time,” Wolf said after returning to Reading Regional Airport. “That was actually my first time ever in, like, a small, little general aviation plane. And I’ve only been in airliners my whole life, so it was a much kind of different experience.”
The flight was part of an opportunity provided to student interns by members of the Reading Aero Club.
After departing Reading, Jones climbed the aircraft to 4,000 feet and headed north-northwest. During a portion of the flight, Wolf was given the opportunity to take the controls under Jones’ supervision.
Wolf practiced maintaining straight-and-level flight at different power settings and made turns to the left and right before Jones resumed flying the aircraft.
From there, the pair headed back toward Reading, flying over the city before turning toward Wolf’s home south of Blue Marsh.
After receiving clearance from air traffic control, Jones descended from 4,000 feet to about 1,400 feet and circled the area, giving Wolf an opportunity to take photos and video of his home from above.
“Flying, it was just a completely surreal experience,” Wolf said. “Seeing that whole perspective of my hometown from 4,000 feet, it was just such a different experience. I had a really, really fun time.”
For Wolf, the flight was more than a sightseeing opportunity. Aviation is a career he is considering pursuing after high school.
Wolf said he is looking at attending college and eventually becoming a professional pilot. He is currently weighing a career with the airlines against corporate aviation.
“I’m not 100% sure I want to go airlines instead of corporate,” Wolf said. “I’m thinking maybe corporate, majority airlines. So I don’t know. I’m going to kind of play by ear, see how it’s all going.”
Jones offered Wolf some advice based on his own experience in aviation: pursue the career he wants, but prepare for the unexpected.
“The best advice? Well, number one, pursue your passion, which is obviously what Hayden is looking to do,” Jones said. “But number two, have a backup plan.”
Jones explained that careers in aviation can be affected by changing business conditions, furloughs or a pilot losing the medical certification required to fly professionally. He encouraged Wolf to pursue a four-year degree while exploring subjects such as business, accounting, finance or economics alongside aviation.
“Just find what you like, do really well with it, pursue your aviation, graduate, and then you’ll have a Plan B,” Jones said.
Jones flies with the Reading Aero Club, which traces its history to 1929 and describes itself as the oldest continuously operating flying club in the country. The club has about 50 pilot members and 30 associate members, along with three aircraft.
The club has also played a role in introducing young people to aviation locally. Jones said the Reading Aviation Career Fair originally grew out of the club’s desire to give something back to the community before developing into a larger Reading Regional Airport event.
For Wolf, that connection between aviation education and hands-on experience meant that an internship at the airport included something difficult to replicate in a classroom: briefly taking the controls of an airplane and seeing the community he calls home from thousands of feet above it.
