Author: Cameron Milleman

I am Junior in High School and a current Student Pilot. I have been playing piano since I was five years old, and picked up trumpet in fourth grade. I’ve been playing those two ever since and focus primarily on trumpet. In my time playing trumpet, I have earned two gold medals at State Solo and Ensemble, been selected for IMEA honor band, participated in two years of Junior All State band, and most recently I started teaching trumpet lessons. I am also a Carl A. Spaatz Award recipient in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program. In the program I plan on earning my private pilot’s license through their Cadet Wings program before I graduate. After I graduate, I’m hoping to attend the United States Air Force Academy or Purdue University Lafayette to study Aeronautical Engineering or Professional Flight. I also hope to be part of either school’s marching band programs.

A Warm Welcome from FMA & My USAFA Summer Seminar Experience

Hey everyone! I just wanted to give a huge thank you to Mr. Zapp and all of FMA’s sponsors for providing such an amazing welcome package for the Solo Award program. I’m so excited to put everything in there to use, from the flight bag to all the flight planning tools and study materials. I’m so blessed to have all of the support not only from the sponsors, but also Mr. Zapp and Mr. Knight as amazing mentors. Also, a big thanks to Gleim for the FAA knowledge exam study materials and the navigational tools.

This past week, I traveled to Colorado Springs, CO, and had the amazing opportunity to participate in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Summer Seminar program. I was in Bravo flight with 38 other rising high school seniors. In the flight, I got to be the Guidon Bearer to help guide the flight in drill and some chants. At the end of the week, we were awarded the best flight for falcon/team spirit!

It was a phenomenal experience being able to stay on the beautiful campus, participate in multiple leadership and team building activities, along with tours and presentations some of the academics majors, cadet clubs, and the three main aviation programs. I also enjoyed getting to learn more about the drum and bugle corps club in addition to the cadet led ensembles at USAFA. Getting to talk with multiple cadets there was very valuable for me as I got to see and hear how rewarding USAFA has been for them. I’m really hoping I’ll earn an appointment to the Academy in this next year to pursue my aviation and musical dreams. Here are a few photos of my time there at USAFA:

Hey Everyone! – Who I am

First of all, I’d like to thank the selection board and Mr. Zapp for the honor of this solo award. I cannot wait to use all this support to continue my ground school training and begin my flight lessons this summer. I’d also like to thank Mr. Knight for taking his time to mentor me as I start my flight training.

About Me

My name is Cameron Milleman and I am a Junior at Burris Laboratory School. I first got interested into flying through my uncle who is a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Later on when I was 11 years old I got introduced to Civil Air Patrol which I joined a year later. Civil Air Patrol really helped me to find in my love for the skies through my 5 orientation flights and an in-depth ground school/simulator course. After earning the Carl A. Spaatz Award and leading Indiana Wing’s Government Relations Program, I began striving to earn my private pilot’s license through Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Wings program before I graduate high school.

Moving towards my musical experience, I started playing piano at the age of 5 with my brother then I picked up violin in 1st grade then eventually trumpet in 4th grade. After picking up trumpet, it became my primary focus for my musical education. In my time playing trumpet, I have earned two gold medals at State Solo and Ensemble, been selected for IMEA honor band twice, participated in two years of Junior All State band, and recently I started teaching trumpet lessons. This past month, my high school’s advanced wind ensemble got its first ever Group I gold rating for the Indiana State School Music Association’s band contest. This was very exciting for me as the trumpet section leader to become part of such a huge accomplishment for our ensemble.

In closing, I look forward to meeting all of you and hearing more from you about your flying and musical experiences while also getting any of your advice!

Best Wishes,
Cameron Milleman