Young writers rewarded for tales of flights that were disrupted

Sporty’s officials recently awarded two young pilots first and second prize in the Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots.

Nadja Keist, a 23-year-old air traffic controller and private pilot from Switzerland, took the first place prize of $5,000 in the fourth annual contest.

Her article, “Understanding Responsibility,” was selected as the entry that best answered this year’s writing prompt: “My first time at the controls of an airplane.”

Nadja’s article recounts her first flight as a pilot in command with a passenger, and the in-flight anomaly that tested her decision-making skills.

A normal flight on a beautiful day was disrupted by a master warning light and a high oil temperature indication. Nadja followed the checklist and worked with ATC to get back on the ground safely, but she admits the lessons learned cover more than just flying technique.

“My first flight as PIC taught me what it meant to hold responsibility over someone,” she said.

She added she also learned what it’s like to be on the other side of the pilot-controller relationship, with implications for her job.

The second prize of $2,500 was awarded to Gus Steffen of Wisconsin for his article “Fright or Flight.”

He describes his first solo, which was memorable not just for the achievement, but also for the wasp he encountered in the cockpit on final, and the importance of his disciplined training for overcoming the distraction.

The Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots is funded through the royalties from Collins’s book sales and is augmented by contributions from his children, Richard, Jr. (who was also one of the judges), Sarah, and Charlotte. In 2022, more than 70 stories were submitted for the contest.

Both winning stories were published on Air Facts, which began in 1938, edited by Richard’s father, Leighton Collins. Sporty’s relaunched Air Facts as an online magazine in 2011.