“It’s the first big hurdle if you are trying to make a career out of being a pilot,” said Logan.

Logan’s grandfather, the late Al Pietsch, was the first pilot of the family. He started flying after returning from World War II. Logan’s grandmother, Eleanor Pietsch, of Minot, also obtained her private pilot license and flew a number of years.

Following a family tradition, Logan soloed in a powered plane on his 16th birthday in 2013. So did his dad, Warren, and Warren’s two older brothers, Kent and Gary, soloed on their 16th birthdays.

“Sixteen is when you’re allowed to solo,” Logan said.

Submitted Photo Logan Pietsch and Alan Miller are in the Warrior aircraft at Minot Aero Center on Sept. 17 for Logan’s checkride to obtain his private pilot’s license.

When Logan turned 14, he soloed in a glider. A person can solo in a glider at age 14.

”To obtain a private pilot’s license, a person needs 40 hours of flight time to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements. The 40 hours of flight time includes 10 hours of solo time. A checkride consists of an oral and flight exam. Upon successful completion of the checkride, the person obtains a temporary private pilot certificate online and then is mailed the FAA certificate.

Austin Greenheck was Logan’s instructor for the required flight experience to obtain a private pilot’s license.

Logan, who has been employed at Avflight at the Minot International Airport, has done most of his flying in a Luscombe aircraft.

On Sept. 17, Logan completed his checkride with Alan Miller, a pilot from Atlanta, Georgia. Miller had brought a plane to Minot and was in town for a couple days.

“I was ready for it (the check ride),” Logan said. For the checkride, they left from the Minot Aero Center. Logan completed the various requirements and flew to a designated area cross country and back.

Having a private pilot’s license now means Logan can take passengers in a plane. But Logan said, “I’m probably going to hold off and get more experience before flying around with people.”

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944 or call 1-800-735-3229. You also can send email suggestions to eogden@minotdailynews.com.)