A solo flight series showcasing one young man’s efforts to learn to fly three different kinds of aircraft was successfully accomplished over the weekend, beginning with a night three ship formation flight launched at midnight Oct. 14. The day began early for Drew Gryder of Hampton, Georgia, as he sat strapped in his single engine […]
Solo
First solos for VA students
SEATTLE — The folks in the flight training department at Galvin Flying Services, an FBO and authorized flight training provider for Veteran’s Administration (VA) students at Boeing Field, report that the first VA students enrolled in a program offered through Green River Community College (GRCC) have made their first solos. The program allows military veterans […]
Get a free video of your first solo
It’s the flight we remember all our lives and to help you remember it, Nflightcam makes it possible to record your first solo. Better yet, it will produce a professionally-edited HD video of the experience. Free. “The first solo is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we’d like to help all students preserve it and share it […]
Commemorate your first solo
Whether it’s your own first solo or that of a friend or family member, Sporty’s First Solo Commemorative Wooden Plaque will keep that memory vivid. The alder wood, laser-etched plaque is custom engraved with the pilot’s name and airplane on two lines. The words on the plaque read: “Rare is a sense of accomplishment felt […]
Start of a flying career on 16th birthday
Jeff Spahr, a sophomore at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida, celebrated his 16th birthday March 10 and had something more important on his mind than getting his driver’s license. Jeff started taking flying lessons at Gulf Coast International Flight Academy, Inc. when he was just 14 years old and he became eligible to fly […]
Solo times two at Sporty’s Academy
Two brothers, each enrolled in the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot program, soloed within one hour of each other at Sporty’s Academy last week. Brothers Will and Andrew Gilliland each soloed in Cessna 172 Skyhawks. The brothers are both first year students in the University of Cincinnati’s Aviation Technology: Professional Pilot Training Program. The flight […]
First solo: Hugh O’Handley
We recently asked pilots on our Facebook page to share the story of their first solos. Here’s one from Hugh O’Handley of Pelzer, S.C.: I have been lucky and have always had instructors that were great mentors. I first attended a flight school at Sky Acres Airport in Billings, N.Y., in 1973. I was 19 […]
First solo: Eric Coburn
We recently asked pilots on our Facebook page to share the story of their first solos. Here’s Eric Coburn’s story: I soloed on May 1, 1972. It was my 16th birthday. I had flown many hours with my father prior to that day. I can remember flying when I was 10 years old but my Mom […]
Long suffering, belated first solo
We recently asked pilots on our Facebook page to share the story of their first solos. Here’s the second entry we received, from a pilot who wishes to remain anonymous: My first solo wasn’t really the exciting, giddy experience that I had imagined when I first started flying. The trip to my first solo was […]