Makenna Staudacher – Freshmen, Family and Finding Aviation Gold at WMU

WMu Aviation Flight Science Student Makenna Staudacher
Posted by Tom Thinnes on

"All in the Family" was a pioneering situation comedy that made TV history.  It also describes why Makenna Staudacher is a freshman in the Western Michigan University College of Aviation.

"My family is full of pilots," says the aviation flight science major.  "I was always at the airport as a kid.  I have been around airplanes my entire life and soloed on my 16th birthday."

Hailing from Midland, where Michigan's fabled "thumb" attaches to the rest of the mitten, her choice of WMU as her future in higher education was predictable.  "My grandparents went to Western and my cousin -- Jeremy Hierholzer -- is on the aviation faculty," she says.

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Staudacher and Otis

Still something of a rookie when it comes to extracurricular activities at Western, Staudacher, a 2020 graduate of Midland High School, is confident that realm of experience will be in her near future.  Up until then, she's comfortable "hanging out" with friends, family and her Great Dane, Otis.  One clue as to what she may include in her college life is the fact that at Midland High, she was active in the marching band, the jazz band, the symphonic band, and the symphony orchestra.

Her favorite class so far has been introduction to aviation taught by professor William Rantz, and for an obvious reason.  "It was about aviation," she says, "unlike the majority of my classes this semester."  She's still satisfied with her college decision, though.  "My favorite part about WMU is the amazing people who I have been able to meet, both in the student body and the faculty."  One of those is fellow student Amelia Moulton, "an amazing friend who is so supportive and kind," according to Staudacher.

Staudacher during a solo flight

Still etched in her memory are the circumstances leading up to her first solo and its sheer experience.  "My first flight lesson was really fun and interesting," she recalls about what happened to her at James Clements Airport in Bay City when she was only 14.  "I was learning how to actually fly after hopping rides with my family members for years."

And there is more.  "Two days before my first solo in the middle of January," Staudacher says, "I was about to go flying with my instructor, but we were having problems starting the airplane.  The instructor told me to keep giving it shots of primer, which I did.

Staudacher with the Aero Shell Flight Team

"Twenty shots of primer later," she says, "we still had no luck starting the airplane.  Soon I looked out front and saw smoke coming from the engine.  The air filter had caught on fire.  We jumped out and grabbed a fire extinguisher.  My grandfather looked the plane over and we were flying a couple of hours later." Nothing like showing a bit of that barnstorming-pilot attitude.

"After that first solo," Staudacher says, "I could not stop smiling.  It felt amazing to finally complete something that I had worked so hard to achieve."  Also on her achievement list will be that College of Aviation diploma to hang on the wall and, down the line, a captaincy  with Delta Airlines.

"Mackenna's Gold" was a 1969 western about man's greed for possessing the richest of minerals that starred Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif and Telly "Kojak" Savalas.

This Makenna's quest for gold is the kind that belongs to the Bronco colors of Western Michigan University and its famous College of Aviation.