Tar Heel’s pilot training spans the globe

The tiresome cliches actually apply to Wade Sharp and his commercial pilot aspirations. The Carolina junior’s career plans really are taking off.

He’s reaching new heights at his summer internship with Delta Air Lines, surrounded by pilots taking him under their wings and seeing his industry from a 30,000-foot view.

Sharp is a flight operations intern in Delta’s Atlanta chief pilot office. He’s learning about the business operations of one of the world’s largest airlines — but also piloting full-motion flight simulators and riding in the cockpit on domestic and international flights to observe pilots he hopes are one day his colleagues.

He’s traveled across the country and around the world, making the most of 36-hour layovers in destinations like Amsterdam, Mexico City and Tokyo.

The cockpit is a world in and of itself.

“It’s amazing just to see the way they operate and how efficiently and regimented everything is,” said Sharp, an Honors Carolina student majoring in public policy in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s almost like a machine. Each person knows not only what they’re supposed to be doing but also what the other person is supposed to be doing.”

Sharp said he’s impressed by the teamwork and thoroughness displayed by the Delta pilots he’s shadowing. (Submitted photo)

Getting started

Sharp is more accustomed to piloting than observing. Now 20, Sharp began flying lessons at 15 in his native Asheville, North Carolina. Several of his teenage birthdays came with formal flying milestones.

At 16, he flew solo for the first time. He earned his private pilot certificate on his 17th birthday and his commercial pilot certificate the day after his 18th.

Last year Sharp took his dad from Asheville to Portland, Oregon, and back in a Van’s RV-6 — a two-seat, single-engine plane. The cross-country plane trip was an enjoyable bonding experience for father and son.

“It’s just beautiful every time I fly,” Sharp said. “I treat it as such a privilege that I do it as much as I can and never get tired of it.”

Unsurprisingly, Sharp took to the skies when writing his Carolina application essay. He focused not on the nuts and bolts of piloting but instead on how it’s enabled him to serve.

In high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force Civil Air Patrol and volunteered as a flight instructor for cadets ages 12-18.

In the weeks following Hurricane Helene in 2024, Sharp flew planes with the Civil Air Patrol to scout landing locations for military helicopters delivering supplies and aiding in recovery efforts. He’s also helped surveil wildfires from up high.

Coming to Carolina

While applying to colleges, Sharp considered schools like the University of North Dakota and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which have aviation degree programs. But he ultimately went with Carolina, which doesn’t.

He decided he could still progress as a pilot at Carolina, a decision validated by his Delta internship.

“I’m happy that I was able to do it at a public, in-state university that I love and had always wanted to go to versus having to go somewhere that just didn’t quite fit me as well,” said Sharp, the son of two Tar Heel alumni.

This past year he co-founded the Carolina Flying Club, a group for enthusiasts and students looking for support as they advance in the craft.

His Delta internship ongoing, Sharp is already eyeing the next adventure: He wants to open a flight school and train pilots at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

“There’s just so much demand right now with the ongoing pilot shortages — it’s a real market,” Sharp said. “I’m hoping to be able to offer more affordable rates and target college students like myself.”