Checking the runway and clearing his path, a playful voice commands, “Flight 209 this is your captain speaking, we are ready for takeoff.” Adjusting his cap and tightening his tie, he sure looks the role of a pilot. With his legs barely touching the ground, he sits at his kitchen table, also known as the “cockpit.” 

Growing up with a pilot as his father, East senior Oliver Panyko’s childhood included toy planes, pretending to fly, and taking command of his imaginary flights. 

“We’ve always been a flying family,” Panyko told Spark. “For all my life I’ve been around planes.”

Introducing him to the world of aviation, Oliver’s father John Panyko would often take him on flights. 

“Whenever we would fly for fun, he’d come home afterward and start to pretend he was an airline pilot,” John told Spark. 

For his sixth birthday, he took Oliver on a Cessna 172, which is a single-propeller, 4-seater airplane. 

“I sat in the front with my dad, and he had to stack multiple books on the seat for me to be able to see out ahead,” said Oliver. 

With a pilot as his father, along with the frequent trips, dinner table conversations are never boring, Oliver explained. 

“He would frequently be gone on long trips but then come back and tell the most exciting and funny stories,” said Oliver. 

Sharing his passions with his father, it did not take long for Oliver’s interest in aviation to take off. 

“As I got older, the flying trips we took really stuck with me,” said Oliver. 

With age came more opportunities for Oliver and aviation. For his sixteenth birthday, his present was a discovery flight. 

According to Oliver, a discovery flight is a short flight in a training aircraft with an instructor, where anyone interested can start flying a plane at age 16. 

“[Discovery flights] are to gauge if you are interested in flying, and are in small planes,” said Oliver. 

After his discovery flight, it only went up from there. Oliver decided to join Warren County’s Flying Neutrons Club, where he and other members interested in aviation work with flight instructors to receive flying licenses. 

With a total of 125 people and six airplanes in the club, Oliver had the experience of working with flight instructor Steve Rumsey, who is also the Vice President of the Flying Neutrons Club. 

“As a flight instructor, I help pilots achieve different flying certificates,” Rumsey told Spark. “Depending on what they are trying to do with their flying career, I help them with various certificates and ratings.” 

Rumsey explained that to receive a private pilot’s license, students must receive 50 hours of flying; 40 with an instructor, and 10 alone. Spending these hours together, Rumsey and Oliver became close. 

“Oliver was very excited about flying and making a career out of it,” said Rumsey. “He was just a joy to work with and was very driven to get his private pilot certificate.”

With aviation flying from father to son, Rumsey noted that flying came easy to Oliver compared to other people. 

“For some people, it takes them a little while to pick up those skills,” said Rumsey. “Oliver just seemed to be a natural, as far as picking up flight skills.” 

With Rumsey recently joining the club, Oliver was his first student and Rumsey said he set the bar in the sky. 

“He was just a great student and it’s going to be hard for anybody else coming along because they’re going to have to meet his same standards,” said Rumsey. “He was just a delight to work with and was always motivated and prepared.” 

East alumni Ben Schneider is also a member of the Flying Neutrons Club and became friends with Oliver over their similar interests in aviation. 

“I was sitting in class when I heard him talking about aviation with our teacher,” Schneider told Spark. “Being a student pilot at the time, when I heard him talking about aviation I immediately turned around and introduced myself.” 

With the two being in the Flying Neutrons Club together, Schneider said that they feed off of each other and work together on aviation. 

“I would honestly say only 20% of learning to fly is actually flying,” said Schneider. “The rest is studying and bookwork, where we’ve spent countless hours together studying late into the night.” 

On Feb. 3, 2025 Oliver received his private pilot license shortly after meeting the age requirement. 

“17 is the absolute youngest age you can receive your rating,” said Rumsey. “He got his license as early as he could, which was very cool.” 

Having a private pilot license, Oliver has the opportunity to fly on his own in a Cessna 172. This gives him the opportunity to now be the one flying the plane that he once sat in during his sixth birthday. 

Ecstatic about receiving his license, Oliver wasted no time taking his own trips. 

“My favorite thing about Oliver is that he’s always down to go on a random adventure,” said Schneider. “He called me the other night and said ‘hey do you wanna come fly right now?,’ and an hour later we were 3,000 feet in the air over Cincinnati.” 

Along with flying his friends, Oliver and his father have taken recent trips as well, which John recalls as his favorite moments.

“I flew with him once he got his pilot certificate, and was a full-fledged pilot,” said John. “I wouldn’t say it was nerve-wracking but it was very strange to see because he’s obviously 17 and not a little boy anymore, but my little boy was flying an airplane.” 

Recalling special memories, John notes a memorable flight they took. 

“One of my favorite days was when he came to work with me one day and I flew him around the East Coast,” said John. “We have a very tight bond and we love to share the aviation bug together.” 

Looking towards the future, Oliver sees himself crossing paths with his father on the runway.

“My goal is to fly at the same airline as my dad,” said Oliver. “He is my biggest supporter.” 

John agreed and noted that he would be very proud to work with his son. 

“While it will be at least another four years before we could work together, we’re both looking forward to the journey of getting there,” said John. 

Flying on his own, Oliver is now much farther than the kitchen table. 

“When I fly I just like leaving the earth behind,” said Oliver. “You just watch everything else happen and it’s peaceful.”