Mott goes back to her roots

By JUDD WILSON

Staff writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Samantha Mott grew up like any other kid here. She went to Hayden Meadows Elementary School, spent time with her family, and made good friends on her way to graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School. She was so interested in her real-life pursuits that she didn’t try her hardest at school, she said. That led some teachers to question her ability to succeed in her chosen profession, which required a lot of math. So, after graduating CHS Mott sought out a more practical plan B. Surprisingly, plan B was an instant disaster for her.

While reeling from the aftereffects, Mott said she realized that she would either stay a wreck, or do something that made her happy, and made her a positive force for those around her.

Now she’s come back to her roots — in the sky.

Those times spent with her family were at the Coeur d’Alene Airport, where she made good friends with crusty old guys who, along with her dad, showed her everything about airplanes. She knows how to fix and maintain planes, and has the sense of humor, and musical tastes, of a 50-year-old man. A photo of Frank Sinatra hangs on her dorm room wall at Auburn University, where Mott is going into her second year as a professional flight student. She intends to fly passenger jets such as the Boeing 747 one day.

Mott said her moments spent loitering at the local airport were some of the best times of her life. That’s a key reason why, as a sage old third-grader, Mott said she realized she knew she wanted to be a pilot. The other key reason is her sheer bliss while aloft.

“Being in the air is stress-relieving to me. When my dad took me up in the air, I was kind of upset because there are people who will never feel the joy I do when I’m flying. It makes me sad that they won’t be as happy as I am when I’m flying.”

She said she inherited her love of aviation from her father and grandfather. She’s been flying with her dad since she was 3 years old, Mott said.

Even though she didn’t excel at math at CHS, at Auburn Mott buckled down, focused, and earned an A in calculus.

“My academic standing has gone way up since I decided to go into flying. It’s something that I’m interested in. I have to understand it if I want to be a pilot,” she explained.

Though she is now thousands of miles away from home, Mott said she is grateful to have found a family-friendly, hospitable town in Auburn, Ala. The way she can have conversations with total strangers at the grocery store reminds her of Coeur d’Alene, she said. Mott said she has made friends with her fellow students, but sometimes finds herself having to explain expressions she picked up from the airport here. They’re expressions that her friends say they’ve only heard from their grandmothers, she said and laughed.

Mott is still keenly interested in the Coeur d’Alene Airport community and has opposed some of the airport’s recently-proposed rule changes. With Charlton Heston-like “my cold dead hands” steeliness, Mott expressed her refusal to watch the airport be burdened with a “no loitering” rule that would keep kids from enjoying the airport with their elders. Local pilot Mike Kincaid said Thursday the airport staff and community have agreed to shelve that particular proposal, and are reaching common-sense compromises in other areas. Mott gave special credit to County Commissioner Marc Eberlein for the success.

Mott still has a long flight strip ahead of her before her career can take off. However, after a four-year degree, time spent in flight instruction, and earning her commercial pilot’s license, she hopes to find a job that can keep her in the air, and bring her home every night.

“I love flying because it reminds me that even though I am small, I have the potential to do something big.”