New Pilots

This summer was super busy, with my time divided between selling books, sailing and flying. As for the flying part, it was my pleasure to kick two junior bird-men out of the nest. Alec and Isaac are school chums from across town. They met in an advanced math class, both play in the marching band, and they share a fascination with all things aviation. Lucky for me, I got to teach them some of the ins and outs of flying.

One of my junior bird-men flying overhead.

Isaac was first to fly with me, back before he was 16. He told Alec about how great it was to fly with this older CFI (just older, old was reserved for the pair of Certificated Flight Instructors who are twenty plus years my senior,) and soon Alec was on my schedule, too. We shared a lot of challenges and triumphs between us. They helped each other along, and I’m sure they compared notes on what I said and did as well. We all poked fun at each other and laughed a lot.

Early in the year, one of them was preflighting the airplane for a night flight, and managed to get some gasoline in his eye. We got to do the whole decontamination and eyewash routine. Parents were called, and I felt terrible that this young man somehow managed to splash fuel in his eye. When the other guy learned about it, and the seriousness of the situation was resolved, it started an endless text message ridicule session. Not to worry, turn-about is fair play. When the other guy was demonstrating a soft-field take-off for me, he managed to bounce the tail skid on the runway, and it was caught on video. The relentless ribbing immediately began to flow the other way.

When the weather smoothed out in the summer, they were flying solo all over the state of Ohio, accumulating the required cross country time for the Private Pilot Certificate. Thanks to technology, specifically ADS-B, following their flights was much easier than when my own 17 year-old son was doing the same thing a decade back. By late-summer, Isaac was ready for his oral and practical exam. I got his paperwork in order, we did the IACRA web-based 8710-1 application, and got him in line to meet the examiner. Because of a backlog, cause by too few Designated Pilot Examiners and a spate of bad weather, Isaac was delayed, and delayed.

The newest Private Pilot Certificate holder in the country…for a minute or two.

Meanwhile, Alec was still training, and soon finished his required hours. I prepped his paperwork, did the 8710-1, and he got in line for the check-ride as well. Through a malfunction of schedules, aircraft availability, weather and the resumption of school, Alec was able to take advantage of a cancellation, and got his exam done before Isaac. In his usual way, Isaac was able to smash it all together at the eleventh hour when another cancellation came up, and knocked it out of the park on his check-ride as well. I had a great time flying with these two. In a few years time, they might be occupying the front office of your airliner, and I am confident you will have a pleasant flight. (If you’ve made it this far, let me remind you to buy one or both of my books.)

And then another!