Bellingham High athlete Alex Powell has balanced time in the sky with time in the classroom and on the tennis court. Although the senior is not committed to any plan after graduation, he hopes to join a service academy or ROTC and become a pilot.
“I have been interested in flying since first grade,” Powell said. “My mom is from Brazil so I have been there more than 10 times. I really love the flights down there and the big airplanes.”
Powell has been a student pilot for about two years at the Bellingham International Airport. As of last month, Powell had flown more than 50 hours. He had his first solo flight over the summer. Powell currently flies single-engine aircraft. Single-engine planes, which are lighter than most planes, are typically flown for training or private pilots.
“My first solo flight was from Bellingham to Port Angeles,” Powell said. “It was a bit cloudy that day. When I started to fly over the San Juan Islands, there were a bunch of clouds and I couldn’t see the other side. I decided to divert back to Bellingham.”
Since his first flight, Powell has flown in Port Angeles and Everett. Besides flying around Western Washington, Powell has done mountaineering at Mount Baker, Mount Rainier and in Bolivia.
“My most successful achievement is [a] climbing trip in Bolivia this summer,” Powell said. “We did three peaks above 17,000 feet. The atmosphere is thinner and there is less oxygen. It was tough breathing at the very top. You are hiking at 4 a.m. and walking on ice.”
During the fall, Powell paused mountaineering and flying while he played varsity tennis for the Bayhawks.
Powell was one of a few varsity singles tennis players for the Bellingham team during the 2024 season. Powell began playing tennis in eighth grade and wrapped up his tennis career during the regular season.
Although Powell will not be mountaineering or playing tennis much anymore, he has taken many lessons from his passions.
“In mountaineering and tennis, I have learned about training and work ethic,” Powell said. “I also do debate and have learned leadership traits and how to help other people. Being a student pilot has taught me to make rational decisions.”
Powell’s next step before he graduates will be to pass the final piloting exam to pursue his future in the skies.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
