By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora Senior Tristan Lorentz Completes First Solo Flight
While most high school students were still asleep or getting ready for their day, Tristan Lorentz was already soaring into his senior year, literally.
At exactly 7:00 a.m. on a clear Florida morning, the Mount Dora High School senior completed his first solo flight, marking a major milestone on his path toward earning a private pilot’s license. A crowd of family, friends, and supporters gathered at the airport to witness the achievement, their eyes fixed on the sky as Tristan took off and performed multiple takeoffs, landings, and flight patterns, all on his own.
Tristan, an honor student with a 4.58 GPA, has been steadily working toward his dream of becoming a pilot. He was recently awarded a $12,000 scholarship from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 1632, based out of Umatilla Airport, to support his training.
His instructor joined the cheering crowd on the ground, proudly watching as Tristan demonstrated skill and precision in the air. Fort Tristan, it was a surreal feeling. He’s been dreaming of this moment since he was twelve years old and now he can officially pilot a single engine aircraft solo.
Tristan’s aviation journey began when he joined the Civil Air Patrol’s Southern Oregon Chapter before relocating to Florida. Now Vice President of the Mount Dora High School Aviation Club and a dedicated member of the Law Club, Tristan has built an impressive résumé both on the ground and in the air.
He also holds the school’s men’s javelin record, earning the title two years in a row with the school’s track & field program.
Balancing athletics, academics, and flight training is no small feat. Tristan flies three mornings a week before school, while dual-enrolled at Lake-Sumter State College and managing a full high school course load.
His next training phase includes cross-country flights, navigating to new airports hundreds of miles away to further develop his skills.
For those curious about aviation, Tristan encourages them to look into local EAA chapters. They host Young Eagles events where kids can fly for the first time. That’s how a lot of young pilots, including Tristan got their interest.
Congratulations to Tristan, his family, friends and everyone who has believed in him. We look forward to all the great things he will accomplish his senior year.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
