When not in the classroom teaching “Animal Farm” or the power of mindfulness, Christina Haaverson spends occasional weekends soaring through skies as a private pilot.
Haaverson’s parents initially sparked her interest in becoming a pilot, as both of them are professional pilots. Seeing them become pilots helped her realize that anything is possible.
Haaverson said her favorite aspect about flying is feeling the confidence as she takes off into the air.
“The feeling is indescribable,” Haaverson said. “You look over and it’s just you. You can do anything in the world.”
Haaverson, who teaches English 10, peer counseling, and positive psychology and philosophy, started her journey as a pilot in 2010 by going to ground school, which creates an early step for flight training and is designed to help with knowledge tests for pilots.
Recently, Haaverson has been flying with Kent Krizman, an American Airlines pilot and her instructor for many years.
“It has been a pleasure working with Haaverson, “ Krizman said. “It’s been a great learning experience for us both.”
Haaverson has flights with Krizman every few months, depending on how often she feels the need to practice.
During these flight lessons, Krizman focuses on practicing certain flight procedure goals for Haaverson. His biggest goal is for her to become a safe pilot.
Once Haaverson started to focus on practicing her flying, her instructor signed her a soloing pass, similar to a driving permit. The pass allowed her to fly only during the day and in a certain area, without passengers.
Haaverson paused ground school in 2013, focusing on her master’s degree.
Once she earned her master’s, she restarted ground school in 2016 and finished a year later.
Junior Leia Yamada, a student in Haaverson’s positive psychology and philosophy class, felt amazed that her teacher is a pilot.
“You wouldn’t think that a teacher would be a pilot at the same time,” Yamada said.
As Haaverson was finishing ground school, she began taking private flights with her instructor. She practiced once a week with her instructor at the Livermore Municipal Airport.
She also focused on passing her oral and written pilot’s test, which she took online.
Once she earned her piloting license, she began to prepare for her medical exam. The medical exam is a physical test which assesses a pilot’s overall physical health and vision, while the flight doctor takes care of any medical issues before the flight, which ensures safety.
“The path to flying isn’t as hard as some perceive it to be, but it does take dedication,” Haaverson said.
Haaverson’s mother, Robyne Teslich, is a pilot who has been flying for 22 years. Like Haaverson, Teslich grew up with her dad as a pilot and loved listening to the stories he would tell about flying.
“I took a [flying] lesson, and I was hooked only after one lesson,” Teslich said.
Teslich has flown with Haaverson several times. She was thrilled once she learned about her daughter’s interest in flying.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but as she got older and she told us she was going to start training,” Teslich said. “We were very happy, and supportive.”
While Haaverson was in ground school, she began taking private flights with her instructor.
Haaverson initiated her first solo flight when she was 25, but has recently been flying with her husband, Robert Haaverson, also a pilot.
“I’m all for her getting into piloting,” Robert Haaverson said. “It’s great to have a co-pilot and someone to share the workload with.”
