Flying high above the coast, 18 year old Terrence Williams was the perfect image of calm, cool and collected as he navigated the skies in a single propeller airplane.
Not that flying is anything new to the Rancho Buena Vista High School senior who has spent nearly 450 hours in the air.
While most teenagers yearn for the freedom of a driver license and the open road, Terrence has always had loftier goals, earning a private pilot license when he was only 17.
Beginning his flight training at age 9, thanks to his father's aviation school, Terrence recently earned his single and multi-engine commercial pilot license, making him one of the youngest pilots able to operate and be paid for flying a commercial airplane.
He was awarded the license three days after his 18th birthday.
"I was looking forward to that day all year," Terrence said, adding that his exam was scheduled for his birthday. However, the examiner had to postpone it by several days.
Terrence already has several jobs in the industry, working as the head of the line department for his father's flight school, Orion Aviation at the Palomar Airport, and serving as a part time co-pilot for a produce company. He also plans to work as an instructor at Orion.
"It's not what the typical 18 year old would do and commit to."
The teen, who flew his first solo trip on his 16th birthday, hopes to one day become a captain of a large jet for a corporation or the captain of an airline.
"I decided to make it a career on the day I soloed," Terrence said. "It was something I really wanted to do and something I really loved."
While preparing to fly a Piper Archer airplane, Terrence said that flying is a lot easier than most people think, and he enjoys it much more than driving because cars are "too slow."
"I like it for the exhilaration of it, really," Terrence said.
Terrence's passion for flying began after his father, Patrick Williams, retired from the Air Force and began working as an engineer at local flight schools. At the time, the teen's father promised to let him fly if he helped him clean the airplanes.
Since then he has made flights to San Francisco, Reno, Las Vegas and areas of Mexico.
By the time he was old enough to fly solo, Terrence had completed 120 hours of flight time. The average pilot only needs to finish 20 hours. Federal Aviation regulations require pilots to be at least 16 years old to fly on their own.
"I basically waited years to fly by myself," Terrence said. "I was a little overqualified."
While Terrence is proud to be one of the youngest pilots, he said he has a bit of an unfair advantage over other aviators. He said unless a teenager's parents are well off, or have access to airplanes like he did, learning to fly is often too expensive and inaccessible to young adults. He added that many of his schoolmates don't believe him when he says he's a pilot, so he often keeps his accomplishments to himself.
"My dad calls me his retirement plan," Terrence quipped. "He puts all his money into me and one day I'll take care of him."
When he's not flying, Terrence said he spends time dirt biking, boxing, flying remote control airplanes, surfing and hanging out with friends.
Patrick said he has enjoyed watching his son flourish as a pilot and believes that he has surpassed his peers in the industry.
"Every chance he could be at the airport, he'd be down there," Patrick said, adding that he is amazed by his son's dedication. "He has a jumpstart at any career that he'd like."
He said he is looking forward to including Terrence as one of his flight instructors in the near future.