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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 profoundly transformative experience, fostering confidence and freedom, akin to mastering other life-altering skills.
  • The article details Victor Cabrales' inspiring journey of pursuing his lifelong dream of flying in his 40s, emphasizing the significant positive impact of his flight instructor, Troy Techau.
  • Troy Techau, a retired Army officer and CFI with a Ph.D. in aviation safety, provides personalized instruction, focusing on developing essential judgment alongside flying skills.
  • The unique student-instructor bond leads to mutual growth and milestones, with Cabrales' journey inspiring his family and future aspirations, including potentially becoming a flight instructor.
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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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