By Laurel Sherman
When junior Catherine Yeoman hears the soft hum of a plane flying overhead, she is reminded of the calmness that comes over her when she is in the air, looking at the world from above. As Yeoman was first learning to fly she didn’t find it scary because she was with her father, David, and trusted his flying abilities. However, she said, “The hardest part is remembering what all of the different instruments on the panel do and making small adjustments while in the air.” In the plane she uses headsets, speakers, and many gadgets that show the temperature, altitude, and the speed of the plane.

Flying is Yeoman’s favorite form of transportation. When the weather is good, Yeoman tries to fly a few times a month in her father’s plane, that is nicknamed Marigold for its yellow and maroon color. Yeoman said, “In the air it feels like you are not moving, when in reality you are going around 160 miles per hour.” In cars you can feel much more movement, and the steering is less sensitive than in airplanes.

Yeoman was only six weeks old when she first rode in a yellow Piper Cub airplane, with her father as the pilot. She has continued to grow up surrounded by pilots and airplane enthusiasts including both of her parents and grandparents. Yeoman has been learning about flying her whole life by hands on experiences and wants to become a hobby pilot, along with her older sister, Sarah, a 2014 graduate. She is glad that aviation has been a big part of her life from a young age because it has given her the ability to experience things that others have not been introduced to.

For the last 50 years the Yeoman family has been attending the EAA Oshkosh Air-venture convention in Wisconsin. This summer will be her 18th year in attendance. People fly from all over the world for the week long convention that consists of air shows, seminars, and much more. Yeoman said, “I love the feeling of waking up to the morning breeze through the camper windows as I hear the buzz of the ultralights flying in the air. When 7:00 hits, Oshkosh is woken up by a yodeler that yells, ‘Good morning Oshkosh!’”

Every year at Oshkosh, Yeoman is always sure to do a craft. She has fond memories of making T-shirts with her cousins and bringing friends with her, to share the Oshkosh experience. Yeoman plans on volunteering at Oshkosh and hopes to have her own plane, a Cessna 170, to fly there one day.