Congratulations! Earning your private pilot certificate or an advanced rating is a huge accomplishment. It takes a lot of commitment and perseverance. In fact, through happenstance, bad luck or the pressures of life, many never make it across that finish line. To all who fit that description, I encourage you to pick up the checklist and try again. Your hours never expire and you are never too old.
I remember the day I stood on the ramp as a newly minted pilot, the ink of my examiner’s signature barely dry. Mixed in with the pride of an accomplishment hard won was the feeling of total exhaustion. It was not easy to meet each new requirement and, as one of my fellow pilots said, it was like drinking from a fire hose.
