On the Breeze with Sean Barrett

On the Breeze with Sean Barrett

Gideon Thompson

The Ashland Beacon

Driving from place to place, we see roads, people, trees, and those occasional pets that may have broken free from their owners’ homes as they shift from yard to yard with smiling faces. In traffic, we notice the signs and lights directing us where to go, safely guiding us to our destinations. When we find ourselves in cars, we are low to the ground; when we are in trucks, we may sit a bit higher. The perspective can be different depending on the type of transportation being operated at the time. Aircraft provide an even more unique experience, as the view we are given is from above, allowing us to see farther and travel faster as we pass over places that may have taken us several minutes to traverse. Flight is a world of its own, surrounded by the mystery of how it works and where the planes we see passing overhead may have come from.   

Aviation has been a part of the American dream since the Wright brothers took flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, making way for an entire infrastructure that supports the world in transportation and security. The significance of aviation is expansive, as aircraft carry people, packages, and even pets from one place to another—sometimes through mountain ranges and across oceans—ensuring their safe arrival at their destinations. What started as Leonardo da Vinci’s vision of flying machines has evolved into modern-day aircraft, with aviation uniting people everywhere through air travel. Within only a few hours, someone can board a plane and travel to nearly any city or remote location across the continents. Where would someone start with all of this? How do we make our way into the great blue sky and take flight ourselves?

Taking to the skies, Sean Barrett, an Ashland native and Paul G. Blazer High School alumnus, is living his dream of flying as a career. Each day, Mr. Barrett checks his flight plans, schedules, instruments, and aircraft to ensure safe travel and effective training environments for the next generation of pilots. Sean Barrett is an aviation instructor with Appalachian Flight Services at Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia. Taking off from local airports around the area—including Ashland Regional Airport in Worthington, Kentucky; Lawrence County Airport in Chesapeake, Ohio; and Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia—Sean lifts his students high into the air to help fulfill their hopes of becoming professional pilots.

         Mr. Barrett brings with him a strong background in aviation, having started as a private pilot and gaining experience and education at the Lawrence County Airpark in Chesapeake, Ohio. Continuing his education, Sean completed his pilot training in Morehead, Kentucky, while earning his bachelor’s degree at Marshall University. His path then led him to Thrust Flight School in Addison, Texas, where he studied instruments, commercial standards and practices, multi-engine aircraft, and earned his instructor ratings. Sean’s professional background and attentive personality make him an ideal instructor for anyone pursuing their own dream of taking to the skies.

“The very first step in flight training is an ‘intro’ flight with me. It’s a no-pressure flight that introduces someone who has never been in a small aircraft to the controls. Just shoot me a text or email, or give me a call, and we can set it up!” (Sean Barrett)

There are many reasons someone may take an interest in becoming a pilot. For Sean, it was his travels back and forth from South Korea to the United States while spending time with family and friends. Traveling across the world in a Boeing 747 secured Sean’s interest in aviation and provided a genuine, firsthand look at the world of flying. Sharing our dreams with others and helping them along the way is part of our journey, and Mr. Barrett is doing just that.

       Anyone curious about what flying as a pilot entail—or anyone with a desire to live life in the takeoff lane—is welcome to join in the experience with Mr. Barrett and may find that life in the sky is right for them. Being a pilot takes commitment, passion, and the ability to think of others in a respectful and meaningful way. If you are interested in becoming a pilot or want to chase those lifelong dreams of soaring through the air at high speeds, you are only an email away. Contact can be made for flight instruction—or even just to see what it’s like in the air—with Mr. Barrett at 606.465.7313 or by email at seanleebarrett@gmail.com.

     “To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived.” (Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull)