gest grin I’ve seen in a long time. All of the local airport folks had been alerted, so as soon as he had his feet firmly planted on the ground, the entire airport crew gave him a round of applause. All shook his hand, welcoming him into the exclusive club of having flown solo in an airplane. Photos were taken as I “neatly ” removed the back of his shirt with a very dull scissors followed by a second round of applause. Refreshments were brought out, and we all toasted Ben on his accomplishment. Later I told Ben that Jordan was ready to solo, so we agreed to swap their flight times for the next day. Jordan would fly in the evening when the wind was calmer. The next evening arrived, and Jordan and I taxied to the favored runway. The flight was a repeat of the previous day. After three near-perfect takeoffs and landings, I had Jordan taxi to the edge of the runway. After he stopped, I told him I was getting out, and his grin was even wider than his father’s. Unbeknownst to Jordan, his mother and sister had been alerted to the probable solo flight. They all remained out of Jordan’s sight, but the cameras with telephoto lenses were capturing every one of his takeoffs and landings.
Jordan completed his three takeoffs and landings flawlessly. As he arrived back at the hangar, the whole airport crew was once again assembled and rewarded his first solo flight with applause and shouts of congratulations. The dull scissors was again brought out, and photos were taken of this once-in-a-lifetime event. The grill was then lit, and we all celebrated the father-son duo and their achievement of solo flight with brats and refreshments. I’m not sure who was prouder—father, son, or me! I always find it personally rewarding when I meet the new first-solo pilot at the conclusion of the flight. The first words they utter are usually, “Wow, this thing really jumps in the air and climbs out without you in it. And, it floats forever on the landing.” Each will then tell you about every landing, how it felt, and what they did wrong. It is truly fun to watch their expressions and hand and body movements as they detail each landing. No matter our age, nor how long we have each been flying, there is one thing we all have in common: the memory of our individual first solo flight! It is something that we will never forget. What a pleasure it is to see and help others experience their first flight!
The grill was then lit, and we all celebrated the father-son duo and their achievement of solo flight with brats and refreshments.
6 OCTOBER 2012