Table of Contents/Summary
- A Discovery Flight That Changed Everything
- Training on Her Schedule
- Built Around Support
- Checkride Day
When Abby DeGroat found herself with extra time during her MBA program at Rollins College, she saw an opportunity to try something exciting, challenging and completely new. With an unexpected fifth year away from lacrosse, she decided to channel that extra time into a fresh experience, and flight training proved to be the perfect fit.
Introduced to aviation by her dad and brother, who had both started training during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abby became curious about flying on her own. What started as an interest quickly turned into action. Just four months after walking into Cirrus Orlando, she earned her private pilot license (PPL).
Not for a job. Not for a milestone, but for the freedom to go somewhere. “To fly home to Boston whenever I wanted sounded amazing,” Abby says. “I liked the idea of being able to show up at the airport and just go.” For Abby, that freedom was reason enough to start.
A Discovery Flight That Changed Everything
Before Abby committed to training, she booked a discovery flight at 奥兰多卷云. A simple introduction to flying that quickly became a day she’ll never forget.
The flight took her to St. Petersburg, crossing Florida’s coastline and landing at one of the state’s most scenic waterfront airports. They grabbed lunch, enjoyed the views and flew back to Orlando. “That airport is so pretty on the water,” Abby says. “It was just a good day overall and a really good introduction to what flying in a Cirrus could be like.” By the end of the flight, aviation no longer felt distant or intimidating. She was ready to start living the Cirrus Life™, and it felt more accessible now than ever.
Training on Her Schedule
At the time, Abby was balancing full-time graduate classes every evening while trying to complete her private pilot training before heading home for the summer. To make it happen, she trained four days a week and completed the program in just four months.
Cirrus Orlando adapted the flight training schedule around her life, increasing sessions when needed, rearranging time blocks when classes or commitments changed and helping her maintain momentum throughout training.
As a former college athlete, Abby was no stranger to discipline or time management. Years of balancing practices, games and academics taught her how to trust the process and stay focused under pressure. Even so, flight training challenged her in ways she didn’t expect. “The learning curve is huge at first,” she says. “It definitely feels intimidating in the beginning. But with time, it becomes way more comfortable.”
Surprisingly, Abby says the actual flying became the easy part. “The avionics in a Cirrus were super intuitive and easy to understand,” she says. “Flying the aircraft itself felt natural pretty quickly.” What took longer was everything around it, reading sectional charts, communicating with air traffic control and understanding the level of detail involved in every preflight. “I didn’t realize how in-depth all of that was,” she says.
That experience is exactly why Abby believes you don’t need an aviation background to begin flight training. You don’t need to show up already knowing the terminology, procedures or perfect plan for why you want to fly. You just have to start.
Built Around Support
Throughout flight training, Abby leaned heavily on the support system around her, both from flight instructors and from the training curriculum itself.
Cirrus Orlando’s flight training program combines interactive online coursework, simulator sessions and in-aircraft instruction into a structured learning experience designed to help students progress efficiently and confidently. Cirrus flight instructors bring extensive experience and maintain training standards that go beyond FAA minimums.
For Abby, what stood out most was how approachable the environment felt.
“The entire team was super professional, but also really welcoming,” she says. “If you had a question, you could ask anyone there even if they weren’t your instructor.” Her training extended beyond the hangar, too. Abby supplemented lessons with online videos and additional resources whenever she needed extra repetition or confidence.
“There are so many tools out there,” she says, laughing as she remembers the number of landing videos she watched while working on consistency with new techniques. Over time, the pieces began to click into place.
Checkride Day
When checkride day arrived, things didn’t go exactly according to plan. Weather and runway construction forced adjustments and Abby ultimately completed portions of the evaluation away from the Orlando Executive Airport, where most of her training had taken place.
But instead of letting the unexpected shake her confidence, she relied on the preparation she had developed throughout flight training. A big part of what helped was her designated pilot examiner, who was kind, easygoing and calming, helping her settle down quickly once the evaluation began.
Abby said the nerves faded pretty fast, and she felt more at ease once things got underway. After passing, she immediately went to the family group chat to share the news!
For Abby, earning her private pilot license wasn’t about checking a box. It was proof that something which once felt intimidating had become achievable. And it all started with simply showing up for a discovery flight.
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Common Questions About Flight Training
Question: Why did Abby decide to pursue her Private Pilot License (PPL)?
Short answer: She wanted the freedom to go places on her own schedule—especially the ability to fly home to Boston whenever she wanted. With extra time during her MBA and encouragement from family who had started flying during the pandemic, she chose flight training not for a job or milestone, but for the independence that personal aviation offers.
Question: What is a discovery flight at Cirrus Orlando, and how did it influence Abby?
Short answer: A discovery flight is an introductory flight experience. Abby’s took her from Orlando to scenic St. Petersburg along Florida’s coastline, with a waterfront landing and lunch. The experience made flying in a Cirrus feel approachable and exciting, turning aviation from something intimidating into something she was ready to start right away.
Question: How did Abby complete her PPL in just four months while in grad school?
Short answer: She trained four days a week and Cirrus Orlando flexed around her evening class schedule—adding sessions when needed and rearranging time blocks to keep momentum. The structured program blended interactive online coursework, simulator sessions, and in-aircraft instruction, with training standards that go beyond FAA minimums. Her background as a collegiate athlete also helped her stay disciplined and focused.
Question: Do you need prior aviation experience to begin training in a Cirrus?
Short answer: No. Abby started without an aviation background. She found the Cirrus avionics intuitive and the basic aircraft handling became comfortable quickly. The steeper early learning curve was in areas like reading sectional charts, talking to ATC, and mastering detailed preflight procedures—skills that clicked with time, practice, and supplemental resources like online videos.
Question: What happened on Abby’s checkride day, and how did she handle it?
Short answer: Weather and runway construction forced her to complete parts of the evaluation away from Orlando Executive Airport. She leaned on her preparation, and a calm, supportive designated pilot examiner helped ease nerves once things began. The jitters faded quickly, she passed, and celebrated by sharing the news with her family.