Dominic Nearn’s electrifying life of aviation and ambition | Humans of Catlin Gabel
By Nico Igarashi ‘26
Dominic Nearn ‘26 outside Vollum. Graphic by Nico Igarashi.
Dominic Nearn, a current senior at Catlin Gabel School (CGS), has been a well-known member of the community since Lower School, but his life beyond the school is equally impressive.
From a young age, Nearn had a strong gravitation towards flying. During his first commercial flight at the mere age of four, he experienced a distinct interest in the prospect of flying. He mentioned that he “was really intrigued by how everything works.”
Enamored with the vast and complex machinery that flying involved, a young Nearn set out for a life of aviation.
A photo taken by Nearn during a routine flight. Courtesy of Dominic Nearn.
At the age of 15, he got the special chance to sit in on a few trips in the cockpit, where he explored the intricate and tactile control system of the plane — all of which only enhanced his dream.
Eventually, he enrolled in Part 61 flight school. Schools offer two different pathways for students: the aforementioned Part 61 and Part 141.
Part 141 entails a more rigid and strict schedule; “you get done with your training faster, but it's very rigorous — It's like being in a real school,” Nearn claims. By comparison, Part 61 is more laid-back and flexible.
Nearn describes it like “being tutored.” He says an important perk of Part 61 is that it allows its students to choose what they want to learn, and when — something that fits particularly well with a student’s schedule.
Lessons in flight school consist of ground and flight lessons. The former, ground lessons are designed to work on the theoretical aspects of flying, like protocols, procedures, skills, and any other required knowledge for pilots; the latter, flight lessons — like the name suggests — are the application of these learned skills, and practicing maneuvers. In essence, it’s like driver's ed but for planes.
Aside from the more miscellaneous lessons, Nearn holds plenty of interesting stories about his time in the cockpit. On his very first flight to the coast, he had a frightening encounter with nature’s unruly weather.
Nearn’s flight around Mt. Rainier. Courtesy of Dominic Nearn.
As a result of the overwhelmingly powerful winds, he and his instructor attempted to land in Tillamook three times. All attempts were unsuccessful, and so they had to fly all the way back home. It was truly an arduous flight.
Outside of aviation, Nearn is an avid reader, citing Moby Dick as his current favorite book for its ambitious scope, distinct narrative voice, and deeply philosophical and existential themes.
In addition, he has been snowboarding his entire life, and frequents Mt. Hood every winter.
Lastly, he has begun a new interest in woodwork, of which he has recently constructed an elaborate and dynamic camping system for his Toyota Tacoma. Despite his unfamiliarity with the skill, he is really interested in trying new things and aims to build well-crafted items that show his creativity and work.
As Nearn looks towards the future, he states that “Hopefully [I’ll be] at some commercial operator…My end goal is to fly Delta someday.” What he shows us is that passions and interests don’t need to be solely extracurricular: they can serve as the foundations for lifelong careers.
One piece of advice Nearn gives students is to “Pursue your dreams, really: do what you want to do because you're only young once.” He explains that at our age, we have a copious number of opportunities and chances, and we should seize them with the utmost passion and focus. He ends by saying that “I think it's really important that you care” — care to put real and tangible effort into your pursuits.