by Becky Prestidge

Remember as a child when you would imagine what it might feel like to fly—soaring above the housetops in your neighborhood, maybe even bursting through the clouds? While many of us placed that urge to go airborne somewhere at the end of our to-do list, Jessica Giovanni, 24, decided to make that dream a reality.

After graduating from Central Lafourche High School in 2002, Giovanni soon became unfulfilled by the mundane years spent working toward a physical education degree at Nicholls State. But something new and exciting was waiting around the next corner—well actually it was sitting at the next table.

While waitressing at Outback Steakhouse in Houma to pay for school expenses, Giovanni quickly formed a friendship with frequent customer, Gerald Johnston, the owner of Johnston Flying Services. Soon after, Johnston offered Giovanni a secretarial position at his flying school. It was an offer that she could not refuse. She eventually left school to work full time for Johnston Flying Services and found she truly enjoyed the job.

After only a couple of months with the company, her interest in flying became more and more obvious until she just had to get involved. But with pilot license courses starting at around $5,000, how could she afford to move from her office desk to the cockpit of a plane?

By March 2006, Giovanni was determined to take the first step toward the career she had been waiting for. She made an agreement with her boss to trade in her paycheck for flying lessons.

And so it began. For the next two years, Giovanni performed her regular office duties and went up for lessons once her work was complete. This all might sound quite enjoyable—until you consider the hours she still spent waiting tables and also teaching gymnastics. Not surprisingly, Giovanni had developed the ability to handle stressful and chaotic situations,
skills definitely not wasted on a pilot.

By March Giovanni had completed the helicopter professional pilot course at Johnston Flying Services, and she will soon secure her instructor license for airplanes as well.

Today Giovanni can be found continuing her secretarial duties at the company, only now she leaves the desk to instruct others. She is an impressive example of how to dedicate oneself to finding the career that truly fits. As a helicopter flight instructor for Johnston Flying Services, Giovanni has found her niche. And she could not be flying any higher. PoV

Interested in Taking your Career to New Heights?

When making a career choice, few people realize that they can enroll in a full course of professional flight training for helicopters and airplanes at a school right here in Houma. Johnston Flying Services offers training at every rating level; completion of a course provides the student with a private airplane rating, instrument and commercial helicopter ratings and helicopter flight instructor and instrument flight instructor ratings. Students can opt to take the course all at once or one rating at a time.

When compared to other flight training schools, Johnston Flying Services boasts some of the most reasonable prices. Courses for each rating are priced anywhere from $3,000 to $13,000, with a full course costing up to $50,000. Numerous loans are available for those who are in need of financial aid. Visit johnstonflying.com for specific information and scheduling.