My Flying Life

Ken made a short movie of his first solo - watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z91vQQwNeWU

No words necessary.

Eric had two reasons to smile... he soloed in his own airplane, a Cessna 150 he had bought just a few months earlier.

A few days before his solo, Brian aborted three take-offs in a row as flock after flock of geese flushed from the reeds and flew across the runway right in front of him... that's when I knew he was ready!

I forgot my camera this morning as well, but Sanjay has an iPhone, and the iPhone can do anything. 

How could I forget my camera this morning?  My phone was a poor substitute. Note how perfectly he lined the plane up on that centerline!

... The checkride smile is more a smile of tired relief than excitement.

Three nice landings and compliments from the tower... what more can a girl ask for?

We've started a new pilot night tradition - students riding the mechanical bull at a local watering hole to celebrate either their first solo or passing their FAA checkride. Carrie was way too excited after the solo flight itself for me to get a picture - she kept jumping up and down, and the guys in the control tower claimed they could hear her screaming "I did it!" even through their FAA-approved soundproof windows. 

Joseph was the first student I ever soloed. I didn't get a picture that day, but he was almost as excited to run into airshow legend Sean Tucker at the King City fuel island during one of our cross country training flights.

Now Joseph's all grown up and in the military. He sent me this picture from his second solo... in a T-6 Texan.