John Sexton ’22 Receives Private Pilot Glider License

Strake Jesuit students are involved in numerous activities. Some are in athletics, others are in clubs, and some are involved off-campus. John Sexton ’22 is a member of the Strake Jesuit Debate team, participating in Public Forum. In addition to debate, he has also been working on getting his private pilot glider license (PGL). He is a member of the Greater Houston Soaring Association (GHSA), a non-profit, volunteer-run organization devoted to helping youth learn to fly gliders. He received his license in September.

 

“He is one of the best kids on the team. He works hard and has the respect and admiration of his teammates,” Head Debate Coach Jerry Crist said. 

 

Sexton began flight training at the end of 2017, before he was a freshman at Strake Jesuit. A usual day of training includes flying with a certified instructor and working through different maneuvers to help make flying smoother. Training also consists of ground school, where trainees will work with instructors on the material in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and the Glider Flying Handbook. 

 

“I initially started taking glider lessons because my dad is a private pilot (powered) and he wanted to share with me the joy of aviation. After the introductory ride, I became interested in aviation/piloting and continued from there,” said Sexton.

 

He has completed many hours of flight and ground training and has flown about 250 flights, totaling about 40 hours in the air. 

 

While participating on the debate team and training for his PGL, he also works as a head waiter at Pizzeria Solario. Since debate tournaments usually take place on Fridays and Saturdays, he uses Sundays as his flying days, and he works whenever he has time to fill in shifts, while also having a rigorous course schedule. As a member of GHSA, he volunteers at least one day each month and has approximately 330 volunteer hours. It is evident that through his different activities, he is open to growth and takes time in the community to be a Man for Others.