Swapnil Keshari was looking for a way to de-stress from his PhD studies when he stumbled upon YouTube reels about aviation. After watching those first few videos about the freedom of flight, he knew he wanted to earn his private pilot license.
He signed up for a discovery flight at Allegheny County airport in 2022, and from the moment the wheels first left the ground, he was hooked.
“Aviation feels like a world I can enter, and all of the things that involve my research and everything disappear for a little while,” Keshari said. “My brain is clear, and I am completely focused on flying in that moment.”
Keshari began taking flying lessons in the mornings and evenings between work and his classes. He is in his fifth year in the Joint Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB). Balancing flight training and graduate studies was tough, but the process was made easier with the support of his classmates and mentors.
Jishnu Das, an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Keshari’s PI, was flexible with his schedule. Keshari changed instructors and began flying at High Flight Academy in Butler, which required him to drive 45 minutes for his lessons. Das was supportive of this change and arranged lab meetings around Keshari’s flight training.
“Balancing a PhD while flying is possible, but you need to have your community there to support you,” Keshari said. “I am very fortunate because I already have my community here.”
Keshari’s favorite part of his flight training journey was logging cross-country flights to different airports. His travels led him to Erie, Beaver and even Philadelphia.
“That was the flight that made me realize I was willing to do whatever it takes to become a pilot,” Keshari said. “I surprised my friends who study at the University of Pennsylvania, and the world from above was just amazing to look at.”
After three years of hard work, Keshari’s training has paid off. He passed his check ride on October 13 and officially earned his wings as a private pilot.
“Earning my pilot’s license made me realize that I can do more as a person, because otherwise I wouldn’t have known that,” he said. “When you’re new to aviation, you feel overwhelmed by the amount of a pilot’s workload. But at the end of it, you realize it’s humanly possible.”
Who is Keshari’s first passenger going to be? He plans to give Das an airplane ride as a thank you for his support.
Now that he’s earned his license, Keshari says he is going to take a break from flight training while he prepares his thesis for graduation. However, he would like to continue honing his skills as a pilot and can envision training for an instrument rating one day. Whether he’s in the classroom or in the sky, Keshari is always aiming to achieve new heights.