Howdy! My name is Barrett Gardner, I’m a Air Transportation major and hoping to follow the pilot track to get my CFI. I am originally from Dallas, Texas, which played a huge part in my love for aviation. As Dallas is the main hub for American Airlines my mother worked for them for twelve years, which allowed my family to be able to travel the world for free through non-reving. All of this travel instilled a love of flying into me from a young age. The things that other people dreaded when it came to flying, going through security, connecting flights, etc, were all things I loved. These seemingly minute tasks that most people hate, I enjoy. Racing with my family to see who can be ready through security first, getting to see a new airport for the first time. This love of travel and flying lead me to the only job I have ever wanted, to be a pilot.

“Wanderlust” is defined as a strong desire to travel and I believe the word describes me perfectly. Having been exposed to so many different places and so many different cultures all my life the idea of being tied down to a desk job in one city for the rest of my life terrifies me. To solve this conundrum I came to the Ohio State University and chose to study aviation. Following graduation I want to work as a CFI so that I can accumulate the hours I need to begun working for an airline and eventually working as an international pilot. Working as an international pilot would be my dream come true, I would get to fly and travel the world and just maybe I’d get to fly the plane for a little boy or girl that has a little wanderlust in them.