Land, water and sky: Mastering the elements
Sam Isert flies a Cessna 172 plane while in training to be a pilot. His dream job is to fly for Hawaiian Airlines.
Sam Isert—swimmer, skier, hiker and mountain biker—grew up doing everything he could on land and water. Now, the 24-year-old pilot-in-training plans to conquer a third element as he takes to the sky.
Sam and his younger sister Claire were born and raised in the Briar Ridge neighborhood. When he was in second grade, Sam joined the Castle Pines Storm swim team. From fifth grade to junior high he swam on club teams. In high school at Rock Canyon High School (RCHS), Sam was on the swim team as well as the RCHS mountain biking team.
He reminisced, “Summer swim team is my best memory. It was the only sport where your team was based on who your neighbors were. That created a community.”
After graduating from RCHS in 2020, Sam attended CU Boulder, earning a degree in architectural engineering. After college, Sam’s first job did not quite live up to his adventurous spirit. Though Sam had a knack for science and math, the skyscrapers downtown were nothing like the mountain homes he imagined building.
Sam decided to change careers, in part because of a pilot he had looked up to his entire life—his dad. Tim Isert has been flying for 38 years, a pilot for Frontier Airlines since 1999.
“When you’re riding a bike, you’re in tune with everything going on,” added Sam. “It’s the same feeling up in the air, understanding the forces acting on you.”
On any given day, Sam is flying in a Cessna 172 learning maneuvers. He recently received his instrument rating, a major accomplishment in learning to fly. With two more ratings, he will receive his commercial license.
To work for his dream company, Hawaiian Airlines, Sam will need 1,500 hours and a few more certificates.
Sam’s favorite flying memory so far was his flight to Amarillo, Texas, with his dad sitting next to him in the cockpit. With a strong wind, low visibility and no other airport nearby, he explained how special it was to have Tim coaching him through it; together they landed on the first try.
In addition to flying lessons and in the interim, Sam is living at home and in his ninth season of coaching swim lessons at the pool in Briar Ridge.
Though Sam loves Colorado for all of its terrain, he hopes to one day find himself living in Europe. “You really can’t be more fortunate than to grow up in Castle Pines,” Sam concluded. “But my aspiration is to explore as much as possible, immersing myself in different cultures.”
In high school, Sam Isert competed with the Rock Canyon High School mountain biking team.
Sam Isert (left) cheering with his dad, Tim, at one of his swim races as a kid.
By Marly Holsman; photos courtesy of Sam Isert
