Coast-to-Coast Training Flight Delivers Quality Time

Dan Pimentel

Friday, February 04, 2022 at 09:36 AM ET

Verified

Student pilot Lily Lytle tries on the flight jacket of her proud grandpa, Rich Lytle. [Courtesy: Rich Lytle]

Key Takeaways:

Certified Flight Instructor Rich Lytle and his 17-year-old granddaughter, Lily, completed an ambitious 2,100 nm cross-country flight from Florida to California in a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA).
The 29-hour journey served as intensive real-world training for Lily's sport pilot certificate, during which they encountered severe weather, an autopilot failure, and a near mid-air collision with a drone.
Despite numerous challenges, the trip successfully demonstrated the feasibility of long LSA cross-country travel and provided invaluable flight experience for Lily, who subsequently soloed, while also strengthening her bond with her grandfather.

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Usually, when a pilot sits down to flight plan a cross-country trip of 2,100 nm from one coast of the U.S. to the other, there is a Cirrus SR22 or Pilatus PC-12 involved. If that planned route takes you from Naples, Florida, to Riverside, California, over several days and through all sorts of weather, flying the trip in a light sport airplane is not something many people would even consider.

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When certified flight instructor Rich Lytle’s granddaughter, Lily Lytle, suggested she airline to Florida and learn to fly Rich’s 2010 PiperSport LSA on the very long XC back to the West Coast, Rich thought the idea made perfect sense. Not only would the trip be fun, it would also serve as training for Lily as she pursues her sport pilot certificate.