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Master Pilot

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author received the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe flying, an honor his wife documented for his milestone birthday and which brought a touching family moment.
  • Despite the award's prestige, the author holds a self-deprecating view, seeing it as an accomplishment of endurance and good luck rather than a testament to flawless skill.
  • He concedes that 50 years of incident-free piloting does require a significant level of skill and judgment, likening it to "coloring between the lines."
  • The author encourages other qualifying pilots to seek the award, not just for themselves, but primarily to recognize their families who have supported their aviation pursuits.
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Perhaps you know of the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot award recognizing 50 years of safe flying. I looked into it but the documentation requirement put me off.

But, my wife fulfilled the documentation requirement as a gift to me for a recent milestone birthday. We were visiting my 97-year-old mother with extended family and my wife announced her accomplishment at a dinner. Everyone was impressed and congratulated me. My mother died a month later, so that was the last family gathering with her and it seems somehow fitting that she should see her first born honored.

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