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BASTROP — The freedom of flight has taken one Bastrop student from the classroom to the skies—and now to the center of his college’s statewide media campaign.
Yoltzin Bonequi, a fifth-semester student in Texas State Technical College’s Aircraft Pilot Training Technology program, is being featured in TSTC’s latest media push, sharing his journey from aspiring astronaut to pilot-in-training. According to school officials, his story and photo are helping promote the program’s emphasis on communication skills to future students across Texas.
Bonequi first considered a career as an astronaut, but rather than spend years in training for a single moment in space, he found an immediate path skyward through aviation.
“I saw how the navigation community was, how the flight instructor was, and how he let me have the controls to fly,” Bonequi said. “It felt free to fly the plane.”
His journey began with a discovery flight that sparked his fascination with aerodynamics and the mechanics of aviation. Now, as he advances through the program, he is embracing the critical communication skills that every pilot needs, instructors said.
“I was the one wanting to press the mic and talk,” he said. “It was hard to understand at first. You understand what is going on later in training.”
Clear communication is a cornerstone of pilot training at TSTC, officials said, where students work closely with certified flight instructors to build confidence in handling cockpit radio calls.
Bonequi trains under Ryan Hermes, a TSTC alumnus and flight instructor, who said it is common for students to feel nervous when speaking with air traffic control or maintenance crews early in their training.
“One of our jobs is to get students comfortable with speaking and retaining what they learn,” Hermes said. “Clear communication is critical so there are no barriers between aviation personnel.”
Angel Newhart, TSTC’s lead program instructor, said communication becomes second nature as students progress through the program. From the first semester, students learn to use the phonetic alphabet and practice radio calls, often listening to recordings from airports like Waco Regional or the busy airspace of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
“Communication is going to be part of a pilot’s life for the rest of their career,” Newhart said. “You are always going to have to talk to people.”
For Bonequi, that part of the job has come naturally, instructors said.
As he continues his training, Bonequi said he looks forward to more hours in the air and more opportunities to pursue a career that keeps him close to the clouds—and, as one of the faces of TSTC’s program, hopes to inspire others to do the same.
For more information on TSTC’s Aircraft Pilot Training Technology program, visit tstc.edu.
