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The One Who Taught Me to Fly: Rookie Meets Rookie

Troy Techau, left, a newly minted CFI, and one of his first students, Victor Cabrales. Troy Techau
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Learning to fly is portrayed as a life-altering experience that builds confidence and a sense of freedom, often profoundly shaped by the relationship with a flight instructor.
  • Victor Cabrales, an IT technician, fulfilled his lifelong dream of learning to fly in his 40s, finding an impactful instructor in Troy Techau.
  • Troy Techau, a retired Army officer and CFI, similarly pursued his flying passion later in life, eventually becoming an instructor and taking Victor as his first ab initio student.
  • Their shared journey highlights the significant milestones and mutual satisfaction in the instructor-student dynamic, inspiring Victor to potentially become a flight instructor himself.
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Teaching someone to fly can be a life-altering experience on the same level as teaching someone to read, swim, or ride a bike. All these skills increase a person’s confidence and give them a sense of freedom.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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