At 78, Richard Kasperson is not the oldest new pilot in the world, but he’s the oldest rookie in the Puget Sound Flyers Club in Everett, Washington.
Solo
CFI creates one-of-a-kind gifts for her students who solo
Each of the solo mats are custom made for the individual student pilot.
Picture of the Day: Solo times two
Dan O’Brien submitted this photo and note: “The first two airplanes I soloed while a student pilot. Photo was taken at Mattituck, New York, some time in the early 1960s.” Would you like to have your photo featured as Picture of the Day? You can submit it via this form. All photos sent in for […]
Picture of the Day: Flight training 27,000 hours and 55 years ago
Steve Purcell, now a CFI, submitted this photo and note: “Zahn’s Airport. Amityville Flying Service, Amityville, N.Y., Long Island. 1965. Going student pilot solo in this neat straight tail C-150. About $16 an hour. My CFI was the awesome Ralph Thomas of Pan American Airways.” Would you like to have your photo featured as Picture […]
Picture of the Day: My first solo in the R-22
Lindsay Petre submitted the following photo and note: “After many, many months of struggle and weeks of weather delays, it was finally a perfect day for my first solo in the Robinson R-22. Photo is by my CFI Mike DeMarchi.” Would you like to have your photo featured as Picture of the Day? You can […]
First solo for Flying Musicians scholarship winner
LOCK HAVEN, Penna. — The overlap in skills between music and aviation was evident Sept. 16, 2017, at the Piper Memorial Airport, when violinist William Knauth completed his first solo flight at AvSport of Lock Haven. William, 18, a recipient of the Flying Musicians Association Solo Scholarship, completed this landmark achievement after two months of training, with an accumulated 10.2 […]
FAA restores birthday solos
Following a request from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the FAA has once again made it possible for student pilots to solo on their 14th or 16th birthday, depending on the type of aircraft they are flying. Changes to the application process implemented in April meant that pilots-in-training couldn’t apply for a student pilot certificate […]
New Zealand teen flies 16 different planes on his 16th birthday
New Zealand teen Ross Brodie flew solo 16 times — in 16 different planes, from a microlight to a Tiger Moth — on the first day on which he was legally allowed to fly on his own. The teen’s father, who is a CFI, says his son has “lived and breathed airplanes since birth,” according […]
Scholarship winner solos
The Flying Musicians Association reports that its first Solo Scholarship Award recipient, Drew Medina of Vero Beach, Florida, a senior in the Vero Beach High School jazz, symphonic, and marching bands, has completed his first solo flight. Drew’s flight instructor, director/chief engineer at Piper Aircraft, Buddy Sessoms, noted, “Drew is quiet, focused, driven, and definitely very diligent.” […]