Agoura teen has her eye on the sky

YOUNG PILOT—Jessica Brook, 14, sits ready at the controls. Outside the window of Camarillo Airport’s Waypoint Café, a summertime haze hangs over the small propeller-driven planes parked along the asphalt runway.

And even though it’s the type of weather that grounds most recreational pilots, 14-year-old Jessica Brook prods her dad, Gary Brook, to do the one thing she loves to do most—fly.

With blue eyes, blonde hair and a youthful smile, Jessica looks like a typical Southern California teenager. When it comes to flying, though, Jessica is anything but typical.

The Agoura Hills teen said that by the time she’s 21, she doesn’t want to be flying the Cessna or Piper prop planes she’s flown since she was 10. Jessica has her sights set on piloting high-end aircraft like Gulfstream and Learjet for wealthy clients who can afford exclusive travel.

To reach her goal, Jessica has a plan. By 16, she aims to take her first solo flight. By 17, Jessica wants her private pilot’s license and, when she turns 18, Jessica intends to have her commercial pilot’s license, which means she will be able to fly a chartered plane.

To earn her private pilot’s license, Jessica is required to log 40 hours of flight time. During those hours, she must complete three hours of cross country, three hours of night flying, three hours of instrument training and three hours of test preparation with a certified flight instructor. Jessica must also log a 10-hour solo flight.

Since Jessica will be flying solo by 16, she’ll have far more than 10 hours of solo time experience when she takes the private pilot’s license test at 17.

Earlier this month, Jessica hit a minor obstacle when she went to take her written pilot’s exam, the first step in earning a license. Jessica and her father were surprised to learn that she was nine weeks too young to take the test.

“We were both gobsmacked,” Gary said with an English accent. “We had called the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and asked if Jessie was old enough to take the test, and they said it shouldn’t be a problem. . .

“When we got to where she was going to take the test, over at Western Cardinal, they typed in her name, her address and when they tried to type in her date of birth, they kept getting this strange error message. . .that’s when we found out she was nine weeks too young to take the test. She had to be 15,” Gary said.

Jessica said she was disappointed she couldn’t take the test because she had spent the summer studying for it. The 60-question exam covers aerodynamics, flight regulations, airport operations, radio codes, weather reports, navigation, aviation map symbols and other topics.

Jessica will take the test on Sept. 19—her birthday.

Jessica said she is willing to make the many sacrifices for her dream to become a jet pilot because of her enthusiasm for flying.

“Make sure you have a passion for what you want to do,” Jessica said, “because if you’re forced into it, you’re going to hate it. You have to make sure you love it.”

Jessica said learning to fly has helped her gain more confidence in her life. Because Jessica must speak with clarity and purpose when she’s on the radio with various traffic controllers, she now feels more comfortable when speaking to adults.

She said she likes everything about flying, but her favorite part is the total concentration that it takes to fly a plane. Jessica admits the toughest part of flying has to be the landings.

“When you land, everything has to be perfect,” Jessica said. “You need perfect height, perfect airspeed—perfect everything. . . It’s really hard.”

A fan of science, Jessica said the algebra required to calculate flight times, distance and fuel capacity has forced her to learn more advanced math than she currently studies at school. Jessica will start at Agoura High School. Jessica said when she tells people about her dream, many are surprised by her young age, but almost everyone is supportive.

There are people, however, who ask Jessica’s parents why they allow their teenage daughter to fly. Gary, who is earning his commercial pilot’s license, believes a good pilot makes for a safe flight.

“I have no problem with Jessie flying,” Gary said. “I just want her to take the right training, which is why I’m starting her off young. By the time she’s 18, (flying is) going to be fluent for her.”

The expense of flying is another issue, said Gary. Every hour Jessica spends in the air costs about $100. Gary said the family owned a plane in England, but had to sell it when they moved to U.S. two years ago. The cost of earning a pilot’s license is usually around $5,000, according to industry officials.

To spread out the costs, Gary said he and Jessica often alternate their flight times from month to month. Since Gary is about to take his commercial license test, Jessica has spent much of her time recently on the ground studying for her written test.

Sunny skies and warmer weather motivated Gary to move his family from Devon, England to Agoura Hills in 2003. The Brook family includes Gary, his wife Michelle and their three children, Jessica, Ryan, 13, and Nicole, 4.

Jessica, 12 years old at the time of the move, said it was a big transition for her; but she says the better weather here means more time in the sky. That is, of course, when coastal fog isn’t blanketing the runway.

On this particular day Jessica finally concedes that the morning sky is still too soupy for takeoff.

But as Jessica looks out on the runway and the small planes ready for flight, you can tell by the look in her eyes that it’ll take more than a little fog to keep this aspiring jet pilot from reaching her dreams.