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How an Eagle ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp student is pursuing a career in military aviation at age 16

Sam Maule is serving as part of the local Civil Air Patrol squadron and just completed the Air Force’s Aim High flight academy program

Eagle Valley High School student Sam Mauler recently participated in the U.S. Air Force's Aim High program, where among many things, she got to meet Navy F-18 fighter pilots in California.
Courtesy Photo

Sam Maule is not your average student at Eagle Valley High School. Already, the 16-year-old is passionately pursuing a career in military aviation.

For over a year, Maule has been participating in the Eagle ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp Civil Air Patrol squadron; and just recently, she graduated from the U.S. Air Force’s prestigious Aim High program.

Maule’s pursuit of this career initially came from her love of flying and being on an airplane.



“Every flight, even commercial ones, fuel my love for being in the air,” she said.

During her freshman year of high school, this passion spurred her interest in becoming a pilot. And then, the local Civil Air Patrol squadron did a presentation at her sister’s school.

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“She said that I could learn to fly through Civil Air Patrol in what we call Orientation Flights (O-flights for short),” Maule said. “That was what had me hooked.”

The is an auxiliary organization of the U.S. Air Force that was formed in 1941. The organization not only performs emergency services for state and local agencies but also promotes aerospace education with its cadet programming.

Maule said that the squadron meets weekly at the HAATS center in Gypsum and does one of five things.

“After opening formation where we do uniform inspection and headcount, we either practice drill, have a character development class, do physical training and physical training testing, have an interactive, hands-on aerospace lesson, or have some sort of guest speaker or presentation,” she added.

Sam Maule poses in uniform in front of a Civil Air Patrol plane for Orientation Flights at the Vail Valley Jet Center in Eagle.
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In terms of flying, — through the O-flights as well as the aerospace lessons — Maule said she’s learned “aeronautical learning basics that came in handy at flight school, such as how airplane wings are shapes and how weather patterns form.”

Maule currently holds the rank of cadet master sergeant and the position of first sergeant. With this, she said she oversees the only flights in her small squadron, “relaying information to and from the squadron commanders and the flight sergeants.” (In this instance, Maule said a “flight” refers to a small group of cadets.)

Through her involvement with the local squadron, Maule said she is learning about herself as a leader and has developed an enjoyment of the military bearing.


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“Between customs and courtesies, leading other cadets, and overall just the way I carry myself as a member of CAP and a future military aviator, CAP has taught me a lot about what it’s like to be in the Air Force,” she said.

It was also through the Civil Air Patrol that Maule learned about the Air Force’s Aim High Program. The Air Force Recruiting Service organizes this program, which is a three-week flight academy that exposes students to military aviation.  

At 16, Maule was the youngest member in her 24-person class of cadets. She was selected from over 3,000 applicants to attend with 150 high school and college students.

“The program was amazing. It really got me a jump start on the path to getting my private pilots license,” Maule said. “Each student graduated with 15 hours of flight in our logbooks, anywhere from 8 to 12 simulator hours and full ground school training from lesson one to our pre-solo learning we have to do before we solo fly the plane by ourselves — some students soloed during the program, but I did not.”

The program was run at the California Aeronautical University based in Bakersfield, California, and it also included special activities once a week. One of these was at the Edwards Air Force Base in Kern ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp, California, which Maule said was one of her favorite parts about the program.

Not only did they get to visit the base’s aviation museum and see retired planes as well as in-air maneuvers from various planes, but Maule got to see an F-22 raptor for the first time.

“That was really special because F-22 Raptors are my dream plane to fly with the Air Force,” she said.

“Then we got a tour of the test pilot school, where the Air Force trains pilots to test aircraft that are in all stages of use, both prototypes and already-flying aircraft. We got to try out an F-16 simulator, which while it’s not exactly like flying a fighter, it gave me a little taste of what it’s like, and I loved it.”

Additionally, during the trip, they were able to meet Navy F-18 pilots.

“We got to see the planes shut down, and were invited into the jet center to talk to the pilots,” Maule said. “The coolest part was when they invited us to go out to the flight line with them and preflight the planes with them — walk around and check the plane to make sure it’s fit to fly. Getting up close to those planes was incredible, they’re so much more impressive than what movies show.”

Sam Maule in her flight suit at Aim High Flight Academy in Bakersfield, Calif. At the academy, Maule got to experience the world of military aviation firsthand.
Courtesy Photo

Ultimately, Maule said the experience got her thinking a lot about her future aspirations.

“Those special activities that we did, especially getting to see military aircraft, inspired me to work harder at my aeronautical learning because I know flying is what I really want to do,” Maule said. “Getting to go to the test pilot school and talking to the Navy pilots helped open my eyes to more of the military-aviation paths that exist. It also helped me plan out my future, from this year all the way to fulfilling my 10-year Air Force commitment (commitment for training as a pilot) and beyond.”

Maule has big goals including getting her private pilot’s license by the time she’s 17 and then applying for ROTC, the Air Force and the Naval Academy. In addition to fulfilling her commitment to the Air Force after getting her pilot’s wings, Maule has other ambitions as well.

“Whenever I’m done flying, which I hope won’t be for a long time, I want to be a history professor at the Air Force Academy,” she said.

“The opportunity to serve my country whilst following my passion for flying is very appealing to me. I’ve always been a natural risk taker, and I love the fast-paced lifestyle that a career as an Air Force aviator entails,” Maule said.


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