Aviation student Tommi Abbott flies high during years at USU

Tommi Abbott decided she wanted to be a pilot when she was 17 years old. Her cousins went through the aviation program at Utah State University and pushed her to pursue it. 

“My cousins had gone here, so I already had a pretty good idea of the professors and what classes I was going to take,” she said. “Then I came here, and then I just fell in love with it.”

Abbott is from Pleasant View, Utah, and she will graduate this year with a professional pilot degree with a fixed wing emphasis and an aviation technology – aviation management degree, which she decided to add last semester.

“It was a total whim,” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, why not? I’m already paying for tuition.’”

This has been an intense semester for Abbot after adding the second degree and working on getting her instructor license, which was delayed because of the weather.

“I was supposed to finish the instructor thing months ago, and the weather was just so bad,” she said. “It just kept getting pushed and pushed.”

Abbott said the classes to become a flight instructor aren’t hard, but the extra work is “insane.” 

“I can’t even tell you how much I studied, but I could show you my binder in my car,” Abbott said. “16.6 pounds of all my lessons.”

For the instructor license, she had to complete a minimum of 15 hours of flying, including multiple spin flights, during which a pilot stalls the plane and spins towards the ground. After being endorsed, Abbott completed an intense government-mandated test called a checkride, which can take between three and eight hours on the ground followed by one to three hours in the air.

Abbott now has her private, instrument, commercial and instructor licenses. She has spent over 330 hours in the air since she started the program. After graduation, she hopes to be a flight instructor at USU or do tours of the Grand Canyon, but her eventual goal is to work for an airline, which would require her to hit 1,000 hours. 

Abbott said she is someone who focuses a lot more on school than going to activities or getting involved. She advises new students to have fun at college, and for students in the pilot program to also put in the work and study.

“You definitely need to know your profession because it’s not so much ‘just take a class to pass it’ as much as ‘you need this because someday you’re going to be flying people’s kids,’” she said. “You need to know how the plane works, and can you safely handle it if something goes bad?”

Abbott’s biggest mentor at USU has been her instructor Parry “Pee Wee” Winder, who she said took her in as one of his own. He’s helped her meet important people in the aviation industry and increase her own influence on the aviation program.

Abbott is involved with the jet training program at USU, which is the only program of its kind in the state. She taught the jet ground school last semester.

“We teach our students how to actually fly a jet for 48 hours before they even ever touch one, so that they’re that much, much more ahead when they go to training,” she said.

Bruce Miller, the department head of Aviation Technology, said Abbott’s work in the jet program sets her apart as an outstanding student and role model.

“She works at our jet training program as basically a mentor for other students,” Miller said. “She is always willing to provide that help, but she’s also a non-traditional role model for others.”

Last fall, Abbott also got involved with the Girls in Aviation project at USU, which works with young girls interested in aviation. She was encouraged to join by her sister, Maizy Abbott, who is also in the pilot program.

“It’s really cool to help these little girls and show them, ‘Hey, you can do this,’” Abbott said, “because it’s so easy for women especially to not feel confident in a male-dominant field.”

Maizy said being in the same program as her sister has been “absolutely incredible.” 

“Not only is she such an amazing sister, but she’s such an amazing teacher,” Maizy said. “I’ve truly been so blessed to have her through it, especially with not very many women in the program.”

She said her sister is one of the most determined people she has ever met. 

“There is nothing that stands in her way, and every goal that she sets for herself, she goes above and beyond,” Maizy said. “Not only that, she’s so humble and kind and will literally help anybody in need and stop everything to do that for them.”

Miller also recognized Abbott’s willingness to help others — both fellow students and the department as a whole. 

“We will miss seeing her,” Miller said. “We’re happy to see her go out and be a successful professional.”

— darcy.ritchie@usu.edu

Featured photo by Bailey Rigby