Teenager joins Civil Air Patrol | Local

Tharp, the daughter of Patrick and Kristina Tharp, began her pilot training last spring when her parents treated her to a surprise discovery flight to State College.

“I thought we were just going to State College to go to Sam’s Club and have dinner,” Tharp said. “I wasn’t mentally prepared for this at all.”

However, Tharp's passion for flying began much earlier. In 7th grade, Tharp said his mother won a raffle prize to fly in a gull-wing plane, a World War II-era plane. As the family drove through the valley, Tharp felt at peace.

“I like the quiet,” Tharp said. “There’s not much going on around you. I find it calming.

As Tharp spends more time in the sky, she learns to become one with the plane.

“You have to listen to the airplane because, with the throttle, you're not looking at the background, you're just listening to it,” Tharp said. “With visual flying, you don’t really want to be looking at your instruments all the time.”

In November 2023, Tharp joined the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary branch of the United States Air Force that trains civilians to participate in emergency services and disaster relief. Tharp said she joined the team to advance her flight training and learn leadership skills.

“The chain of command is an important thing,” Tharp said. “I'm a senior airman, so I'm pretty low on the scale. I don't do a lot of stories and information. If I have a question, I ask someone who I think is higher in rank than me and not directly to our group leader.

The Civil Air Patrol participates in local events like parades, and Tharp said it also collaborates with the Boy Scouts.

Tharp's favorite event was pre-camp, a prequel to military boot camp to give cadets a taste of what to expect.

“They prepare you for camp so you don’t go in blind,” Tharp said. “They taught you how to make your bed, how to pack your locker, how to pack your bags, what to bring and what not to bring.”

Although Civil Air Patrol cadets are not official U.S. Air Force aviators, Tharp still takes the responsibility seriously.

“A lot of kids don’t really understand the responsibility of wearing the uniform,” Tharp said. “It’s really a responsibility because, as they told us, people have died in this uniform. You can't be a fool in this.

Tharp encourages other students to enter the cockpit.

“I would suggest a discovery flight,” Tharp said. “They take you over and show you how everything works. They will let you try doing certain things if you feel comfortable and that will give you a good idea of ​​whether you feel capable of doing it or not.

A rising junior at Huntingdon Area High School, Tharp said she may enter the Air Force after graduation, but for now, she is completing her pilot training at Community College of Beaver County.

With 25 hours of flight time remaining, she is well on her way to the sky.