CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina pilot is taking her training in the skies and translating it on the roadways.
She recently opened a driving school with a twist, and the goal is to give new drivers a more realistic perspective behind the wheel.
Typically, you’d find Amy Powers in a cockpit.
“I always wanted to be an airline pilot, I was determined to learn how to fly,” Powers said.
Her determination became reality as for the last several years, she’s been a pilot for American Airlines.
But when she’s not flying planes, you’ll see her at the Charlotte Driving Academy. An institution that came to life after her son started driving.
“It got me thinking about what was driver’s ed, and I came to understand that the standard was set forth in 1949, and there’s been no changes since 1949 to the 30 hours academic and six hours behind the wheel,” Powers said.
She shared those concerns with another pilot, and the two created the academy.
“In 2021, there were over 20,000 to 28,000 fatalities due to car crashes. In 2022, it was a 13.4% increase,” Powers said.
Those statistics alone made her realize distracted driving is a problem. So she took her knowledge of flying and applied it to driving, and by using the same technology they use in flight simulators, they’re able to give teen drivers a firsthand experience of roadway dangers.
“We do this by showing them lane changes. We’ll show them turns. We’ll show them intersections all while managing blind spots,” Powers explained.
Powers said the academy has one of the only driving simulators on the East Coast.
“What’s been neat about bringing in this technology to the students is they’re excited to learn it’s not just a run of the mill driver’s ed,” Powers said.
If the simulator helps save one life, Powers said it’s worth it.
“I’ve lived out my dream. Now this is a chance to help these kids grow up and live out their dreams, and it starts with being a safer driver,” she said. “We don’t know what they’re going to do in life, and what they’re going to become, but we’ve got to put them on the best foot forward going ahead.”
The academy opened in August, and since then it’s had one round of classes.
Bookings are available for future classes at Charlottedrivingacademy.com.