Let Loose To Solo

Saturday, May 06, 2023 at 08:05 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The author's early flight training was marked by a chaotic initial solo flight, including a near-miss with a tower during takeoff and an accidental spin in the practice area, which he concealed from his instructor.
His first solo cross-country flight featured adventurous, self-induced airsickness, the critical oversight of not closing his flight plan (almost prompting a search and rescue), and navigating challenging crosswinds at an unfamiliar farm strip.
The article humorously reflects on the author's youthful recklessness and "stupid" decisions during these formative flights, contrasting them with his later career as a seasoned flight instructor.

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I learned to fly “the old-fashioned way,” in a Cessna 152 with its roots firmly in the Eisenhower administration. It had seemingly endured approximately one million hours. I had various flight instructors—none of them were any good, of course, in my eyes, because I had 14 hours of flight time and I was in my early 20s. Of course, they were good instructors; I just didn’t know it because I was young, rebellious and, let me just say it, stupid. “Stoopid,” even.

Old Yeller

One fine day after hours and hours of training, I was ready for my “initial solo.” See, the U.S. Air Force, which was paying for my civilian flight training, would only pay for so many hours, so suddenly, I was “ready.”