West Orange High School student earns pilot’s license

It was only a year ago that West Orange High School student Elias Lopez was old enough to get his driver’s license.

And now, at just 17, he’s also credentialed to pilot a plane.

Lopez is the second youngest to graduate from the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy, where he earned his private pilot’s certification in July. 

Although the Lopez family has military members, Eli’s parents said they never encouraged their children to do the same. 

When Eli’s parents asked why he wanted to join the Air Force, his answer was immediate and simple: He wanted to serve his country.

PASSIONATE PILOT
Eli was born in Georgia but moved with his family to Winter Garden when he was just 1 year old.

Eli started becoming interested in aviation around his sophomore year, when he started as a cadet with the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at his school.

His interest in the field grew, and he decided to apply for the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy, an eight-week summer aviation training program.

The program is conducted at partnering universities nationwide. Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a private pilot’s certification.

The academy is intended to inspire and encourage high school youth toward aviation careers. The scholarship program is a collaborative effort between the aerospace industry and the Air Force to address a national pilot shortage.

According to Air University, currently, Boeing predicts a need to hire 6,000 civilian pilots annually for the next 20 years. The military needs to quickly push that number to 2more than 8,000.

The inaugural year of the Flight Academy was 2018, when 120 cadets attended six universities. The Air Force has expanded the program since its inception. This summer, the program partnered with 24 universities to host more than 300 cadets.

The scholarship program is extremely competitive; about 1,500 students applied this year. 

Eli said it was surreal finding out he had been selected last November.

“I couldn’t believe I had the opportunity to go and do that over the summer, because it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to go away for eight weeks, learn how to fly a plane and legally get your license,” he said. 

Shonda Spencer, aerospace science instructor at West Orange, met Eli when he joined Air Force JROTC in 2021. 

She remembers him because he usually was the first cadet to answer questions correctly. He also was the first cadet to pick up the drill movements properly. 

Spencer describes Eli as ambitious, incredibly smart, determined and, above all, the epitome of one of the Air Force’s core values: “Excellence in All We Do.”

“I’m so proud of Eli,” she said. “I’m most inspired by his steadfastness and his determination to excel at whatever he sets his mind to. Many people, especially at his age, choose something to be good at and focus on just that skill. 

“To be accepted to the pilot academy, you have to be the total package,” Spencer said. “You have to have high academic scores. He’s got that. You have to score high on the physical fitness assessment. He did that. Additionally, I had to report to the Air Force his accomplishments within the unit, and I was happy to report that in just his second year in the program, he was already entrusted with the maintenance and inventory of all of our uniforms and equipment as our logistics commander. It was no surprise to me that he was accepted to the pilot academy.”

FLIGHT TRAINING
Eli left Orlando June 4 for his training at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. 

He said the program was intense and fast-paced.

He was tasked with learning time management with the instruction, flight lessons and ground school.

“My favorite part was right after my first solo flight,” he said. “My instructor was down there the entire time, and he made me think I did absolutely terrible, but when I came down, it was just really fun.”

Although exciting for Eli, his first solo flight was terrifying for his mother, Nasly Lopez.

She typically tracks him on his flights using an app called FlightAware.

“The unique thing about Eli is that when he really loves something, he focuses on it really well,” she said. “It’s foreign to us because we don’t fly airplanes, so we don’t know what it takes. I never imagined him doing these things, but I know that this is his dream. His flight instructor sent me a video of him turning on the plane, taking off and landing for the first time. There was definitely an overwhelming amount of emotion as I was watching it. I was so proud.”

Because of the rigor, four students did not finish the program.

Eli said a lot of the things he learned in his sophomore and junior year with Air Force JROTC prepared him for the program.

Nasly Lopez said her son grew up over the eight weeks he was gone.

“As we went along the journey from the beginning when he got the scholarship, we just gained more and more pride along the way,” she said. “It’s so nice to see that whatever we’ve instilled in him, he has taken that and then gone even further. He’s truly a great kid.”

Eli graduated from the program July 28 and returned to Orlando July 29 with his private pilot’s license, a feat that normally takes months or years and typically costs thousands of dollars.

“It was really cool being able to make all these connections with people I’ll probably be in contact with for the rest of my life,” he said. “We really went there and back together. A good chunk of us all want to go into the Air Force, so there’s a good possibility I’ll see those people again. I’m looking forward to it.”

FAMILY FOUNDATION
All four of Eli’s grandparents are immigrants to the United States. Both Nasly’s father and her father-in-law fled communist Cuba. 

Nasly Lopez said her son has always been an old soul and is dedicated, driven and hard-working.

“We have always instilled in our children how incredible it is to have the freedoms we have in this country,” she said. Eli feels that those freedoms are being threatened, and so he feels he needs to be part of the fight. As a mom, that’s the last thing you want to hear. But my heart beams with pride knowing that he is always willing to do the right thing and to fight for what he believes.”

Eli’s father, Francisco, was in the U.S. Army Reserves before he became a chiropractor. He reached the rank of captain before he left.

“His drive and perseverance to accomplish a goal really inspires me — especially when it is something he really wants,” he said.

Eli and his sister, Sofia — a freshman at West Orange — were introduced to planes when they were young; their parents had friends who owned private planes.

Eli drives a stick-shift car, a skill his parents decided their kids needed to have. The family now jokes the knowledge helped him transition better to flying. 

Eli plans to apply for the Air Force Academy and pursue a career in military aviation.

He currently is taking on the incredibly difficult feat of completing the AFA application process.

Eli hopes to be in the academy for four years before graduating as an officer in the Air Force.

His dream? To fly fighter jets. 

“When you’re flying, it’s really a different perspective,” he said. “I really just enjoy being up there. It’s my dream.”

Eli hopes to serve for at least 20 years in the military before retiring.

After that, he is considering a possible job at an aviation company like Lockheed Martin.

For now, Eli is enjoying spending time with his friends before they go their separate ways at the end of senior year. 

His best friend also is applying to the AFA. 

In addition to his aviation career, Eli holds an Eagle Scout rank, has a black belt in karate and is a certified diver.