OLD BRIDGE — Alyson Holt was elated when she graduated from college almost 20 years ago and decided to reward herself for all the hard work with a gift.
“I always liked helicopters, so I bought myself a [helicopter] flight over New York City,” she said.
That flight transformed what was formerly a layperson’s interest in aviation into a newly found life’s purpose for Holt, who has hardly let go of the pilot’s yoke since.
However, there were not many helicopter flying schools in the area back then, Holt said, so she chose to get her aeronautical fix with airplanes.
“I wanted to learn how planes could do all those maneuvers,” she said. “I thought the best way to learn would be to fly one, so I got a pilot’s license and an instructor’s rating as soon as I could.”
In no time at all, Holt was taking in broad views of New Jersey from high up in her own single-engine airplane with her husband, Joseph, who is an aviation aficionado and an airline pilot.
“About three years ago, a friend of mine asked me to take her daughter up [for a flight] and asked me how much it would cost. I told her there was no charge, but when we landed she handed me $100,” Holt said. “I thought, ‘Wow, I could get paid for this,’ but it was one of those ‘maybe when I get older’ things.”
Holt would not have to wait that long to seize the opportunity to earn some cash, all while sharing her love for flight with fellow enthusiasts.
“I talked to a few instructors at the Old Bridge Airport and asked how much it was to rent a hangar and whether or not we could start a school with just two airplanes,” Holt said. “I went home that night and told my husband we were opening a flight school.”
What started two years ago at the Holts’ new Old Bridge Flight School with two single engine airplanes has burgeoned into a six-airplane operation, with four instructors guiding a few dozen students.
“We’ve got all sorts of people who come in to learn to fly,” Holt said. “Parents who want to get their kids into flying, kids who think it’s exciting, Cub Scouts who come to get their merit badges, high school students, dads who missed the opportunity to learn to fly when they were younger — you never know who will walk into the hangar.”
Several students have taken some impressive aeronautical sojourns during their stint at the school.
“We had one student and an instructor fly all the way to Florida; another took his dad’s girlfriend around New York City. Generally, though, we stay within around 25 nautical miles,” Holt said. “We like to go to Pennsylvania, North Jersey and New York. Cape May is a popular destination, too.”
Lessons at Old Bridge Flight School are hands-on, Holt said. A prospective student can expect to spend 40 to 60 hours in the air and plenty of time hitting the books with instructors before earning a license.
“We have had people get their license in four months and we have people who have been here for over a year and still don’t have their license. It is really up to the person involved to take the necessary steps,” Holt said.
According to the veteran pilot and her husband, fall is the most beautiful time of year to view the Garden State from above. To find out more about the flight school, visit www.oldbridgeflightschool.com.