Brad Luce, second from left and a junior at Westwood High School, has been selected for the U.S. Air Force Aim High Flight Academy. From left are Greg Durand, chief master sergeant with the local Civil Air Patrol squadron; Luce; Mathias Munger, CAP second lieutenant; and Bruce Finn, also a CAP second lieutenant. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

K.I. SAWYER — Brad Luce definitely is “aiming high” is the literal sense.

However, he also has lofty career goals.

Luce, a Westwood High School junior and the son of Trey and Susan Luce, has been selected for the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Aim High Flight Academy, an aviation scholarship for a three-week introductory flight program at various colleges and universities across the U.S.

According to the Air Force Recruiting Service, selected students receive up to 15 hours of flight training and learn more about what it takes to become an Air Force-rated officer.

Luce was one of about 150 high school students selected out of a pool of over 1,600 applicants nationwide.

“I was just so lucky to be one of the few, but I’ve worked hard since freshman year, and it’s been a struggle, but it’s a big privilege to part of the community of Civil Air Patrol, and especially getting chosen for Aim High Flight Academy,” Luce said. “It’s going to a great experience.”

Luce’s interest in flying began at a young age, particularly middle school, with planes a special passion.

“As I hit freshman year of high school, I decided, hey, might as well do planes because they just fascinate me so much,” he said. “I might as well serve my country while doing a fascination of mine.”

His planned career pathway definitely has an aviation bent.

Luce wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and take Air Force ROTC at Texas A&M University with its Corps of Cadets so he can get started as officer attend Officers’ Training School.

He acknowledged the possibility that eventually, after being in the service, he would fly commercially.

Luce, who is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program, does not yet have a pilot’s license, but has gotten in practice flights, for example. He does, however, foresee obtaining a license before college.

Greg Durand, chief master sergeant with the local Civil Air Patrol squadron, said the hope is that most of the participants in the Aim High Flight Academy will get to fly solo before they leave.

Durand said that once Luce completes the Texas A&M ROTC program, upon graduation, he will become a second lieutenant. From there, Luce would apply for a flight school, and eventually learn to fly various planes depend on his training track.

Luce then would have a 10-year commitment to the Air Force.

“By then, he’ll be a captain at 10 years, roughly,” Durand said. “If he’s a ‘fast burner,’ maybe a major.”

Luce has applied for a CAP CadetInvest scholarship, with Durand providing an endorsement.

“Cadet Luce is a committed youth who strives to help his peers, new Cadets and seniors,” Durand wrote. “He is highly reliable and self-assured. He is eager to learn and takes instruction as fast as you can give it. Cadet Luce has big plan and will one day be one of America’s finest.”

Adventure to begin this summer

The academy’s flight school will take place in the summer in one of four locations: Bakersfield, California; Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Mesa, Arizona; or Brookings, South Dakota.

Luce would prefer to go to Brookings, the home of South Dakota State University, because it’s closer to home than the other locations. He also wants to make it to a CAP encampment this year, which he called a “watered-down boot camp” to educate him on the military aspect.

Trey Luce probably isn’t surprised about his son’s success.

“He’s been that kind of kid that you don’t have have to stay on top of,” he said. “We’re blessed in the fact that he’s that kid that you don’t have to tell to do this homework. He’s always been that way ever since grade school. When he’s got a task to do, he’s self-motivated. He does it.”

Luce surmised that he was chosen for the academy because of his essay.

“I put a lot of work and effort into that essay,” he said. “Maybe I sparked something that made them see how interested I am.”

It also didn’t hurt that he maintains a high grade point average, which currently is 3.9.

For Luce, it’s not just about flying — it’s about the planes themselves, which hold his interest, he said, because of the way they operate and move in the air.

“They can just staying flying, even without an engine,” Luce said. “They can glide. When the Wright brothers created the airplane, it changed the world. It changed people’s perspective on what’s possible.

“Planes are just one of the greatest inventions that mankind has ever made, and it’s just something I want to be a part of. It’s a cool piece of machinery.”

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.