Lara Gaerte submitted this photo and note: “Nick Gaerte flew his first solo flight on his 16th birthday, Jan. 11, 2023, at Fort Wayne International Airport in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in his family’s PA28-180 Cherokee. Nick has grown up in aviation; his parents are both corporate pilots. Nick’s dad is also an A&P IA mechanic and his mom is a Master CFI and is his flight instructor.”
Lara, his mom, adds that “Nick feels like he’s been waiting his whole life to fly solo and didn’t think that it was such a big deal. Everyone else at the airport that day (corporate pilots, tower controllers, line and maintenance staff) thought that it was a huge deal!”
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