During the summer of 2017, Jack Willette and his family boarded a Southwest Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale. Then 10-year-old Jack sat in the window seat, peering out at the world and the wonder of aviation.

“(I) was infatuated by how the aircraft worked, the power of the aircraft and how quickly it became airborne and climbed, and the altitudes of which the aircraft could get up to,” he said. “There are so many things about aviation that I love that helped spark (my) interest; those are some of which made me want to pursue the goal of becoming a pilot.”

Jump ahead to August, 2023, Willette was starting his junior year at St. Rita High School – and that’s also when he began training for his private pilot license, which he received this past August 7th.

“From the day I started training (for my private pilot license) until I became a rated pilot, I was expected to master airmanship in all aspects,” he said. “I had to learn and perform various maneuvers that might make a non-pilot sick. I had to learn how to stay calm under pressure or in the event of an emergency. I also had to spend countless hours at home and in the library studying things like weather theory, aerodynamics and FAA regulations. It was quite a strenuous process, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and I really look forward to my future aviation endeavors.”

The longest he’s flown – yes, as the pilot – was his long solo cross-country flight, which is a requirement for all students in the initial training process. He flew from Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling to Madison Dane County (in) Wisconsin and then over to Waukesha Airport in suburban Milwaukee before heading back home.

“The total time I spent airborne was about two hours and 15 minutes, and it was awesome; I completed the entire trip alone,” Willette said.

Now 17, Willette lives in Oak Lawn and is a four-year varsity defenseman for the Mustangs in uniform No. 20. He formerly skated for the St. Jude Knights and Chicago Blues. Last season, he was named the Wayne Tomas Leadership award-winner, given by the St. Rita Hockey Club to salute leadership and guidance given to not only underclassmen, but fellow upperclassmen teammates.

This season, he is an alternate captain, alongside captain Richie Glenke.

St. Rita head coach Brian Coleman tagged Willette as a “quiet leader.”

“Players look up to him,” Coleman said. “On the ice he’s a smooth skating defenseman who can exit the zone on his own. His size and skating ability allow him to kill plays early and often. Those skills also allow him to support a teammate when needed and still recover well to his primary responsibilities without leaving the team vulnerable. He’s quarterbacked our power play for several years and can put the puck on his teammates tape in scoring positions consistently. His skating ability also allows him to find lanes to get shots through and attack off the weakside when the opportunity opens.

“It’s been a joy coaching Jack these past four years. More importantly it’s been better getting to watch him grow up, mature and become an excellent young man with a bright future ahead.”

Willette said his St. Rita highlight was scoring his first-ever high school hockey goal – against Fenwick, a team then-filled with many former Chicago Blues teammates.

“Ever since I began playing hockey, I’ve never been the type of player to want to stick handle through everybody and score goals. Especially playing at a high level for most of my youth hockey career, I’ve always been more laid back and have been more of a playmaker and statistics will show that majority of the time I end up with way more assists than goals in a season,” he said.

The Mustangs sit at 2-3 in the 10-team Chicago Catholic Hockey League – and Willette has 1 assist.

“Rita is quite unique this season; we have so much potential,” Willette said. “We have a large number of underclassmen on our roster that you may not see with other schools. We have grown as a team this season and, with constant practice and team development, you could be seeing the St. Rita Mustangs upsetting some of the top teams in the CCHL.

“My personal goal for this season (is) to be named a CCHL all-star with a few of my teammates, which would be an honor as a senior.”

And then he will fly off to college, literally. He is considering Auburn University, University of

Oklahoma and the University of North Dakota to further his aviation career.

“This license or rating is the most restrictive rating of all, but it allows me to take family, friends, loved ones, or anybody who has an interest in aviation up and give them a taste of aviation from a different perspective that isn’t just flying in (a commercial airline),” said Willette, who is based at Wheeling’s Chicago Executive Airport, yet has trained at airports in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.

“I fly the most produced plane in the world: the Cessna 172. The aircraft itself holds a pilot and three passengers. I am looking to pursue a high-performance endorsement that can get added on to my private pilot rating so I can fly more powerful and prestigious aircraft as opposed to the 172.”

After graduating, Willette plans to pursue the rest of his ratings in college and eventually, hopefully, land at a major airline in the U.S. or a corporate carrier. In college, he plans to become a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor), where he teaches younger students the ins and outs of aviation and eventually watches them achieve their dreams of becoming pilots themselves.

“Long-term, I’d love to be an airline pilot and motivate those young kids or really anybody who has a burning passion for aviation, like I do, to get up and start flying,” he said.

Willette said his St. Rita teammates “think it’s awesome” that he is a pilot “and some have even reached out to me on how they can start their training,” he said.

Slapshots With … St. Rita Forward Jack Willette

Influences: “From a young age, I always loved to watch Duncan Keith play for the Chicago Blackhawks. I took on his style of play because he played with so much patience and poise that made not only himself, but his teammates, successful on the ice. After he retired, and as I began getting closer to playing in high school, one of my greatest influences was not an NHL player, but rather, somebody I had the honor to play with: Owen Fask, a teammate on the Blues from 2017-2020, before he left to play for the Chicago Young Americans. He always taught me persistence and the importance of working hard. Even though we play for different teams today, we remain great friends, and he continues to push me to be the best hockey player and person that I can be.”

Off The Ice: Is involved with St. Rita’s Big Brothers Leadership, in which he helps freshmen feel welcomed and more. He is the president of the aviation club at St. Rita and was inducted into the National Honor Society in September.

Hobbies: “I am very big on personal health, so I love going to the gym, cooking meals that will maintain my health, or doing things that benefit me as a person and will keep me healthy. One of the reasons I do this is to keep my strength as a player, but pilots also must maintain a medical certificate throughout their entire career, and I find it important to do these things. The FAA does not take pilot health lightly.”

Favorite NHL Team: New York Rangers

Favorite NHL Player: Artemi Panarin

Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Miracle

Favorite Pre-game Meal: Grilled chicken with rice and vegetables

Favorite App: Instagram

Celebrity I’d Like to Meet: Tom Hanks or Adam Sandler

Best Hockey Tip: “Keep you stick on the ice and you’ll be rewarded.” – Blues coach Anthony Monte

Best High School Uniform (other than St. Rita): York all-white uniforms