There are a few big miles stones in pilot training. One of these is the student pilot's first solo. This is where they have successfully reached a certain point in the syllabus and the student is ready for a short flight on their own. For this flight their instructor hands them their own wings, which the student places on their chest, and thus they have given the student permission to take this multi-million dollar air craft into the sky without assistance. It is a little nerve racking for the instructors. There have been things that have gone wrong during the solo, and there is no instructor to back them up or take the plane back. But it is exhilarating for the student pilot.
Jon's solo had been rescheduled a few times, but it finally happened! And I was very lucky to be off work that day. This meant I got to go watch, wait, and greet him at the end. I showed up a little early and Jon showed me to the flight room and introduced me to his instructor. I then hung out with his instructor and a couple of buddies as we went outside and watched him take off and leave our view. Everyone who walked by would say "A solo today?" and "Good Luck". I was glad to have the instructor with me, because I could not tell one T-6 from another, so I had to wait on him to let me know when Jon was coming in for a landing. Then we took the bus out to the flight line to meet him.
As a wife at the solo, my job was to greet him, and congratulate him, and take pictures. (And look hot--Jonny). So I filled my role. It was wonderful to be able to be there while he did something rather than just hear about it when he got home. I very much enjoyed the thrill of taking the plane by himself. It was the last time he would get to do that as well. All the rest of training would require a copilot. He is very much a pilot. he is amazing and he knows it. As he explained to me, all pilots are required to be a little cocky. They have to know they are good enough to handle whatever goes wrong, they can't be second guessing themselves.
The air force is full of traditions. The solo is no acceptation. The tradition associated with the first solo flight is to throw them in the dunk tank. When there is a solo happening people find out and are ready to tackle the student pilot after he removes his gear and before he makes it back to the flight room. This can get very exciting as the student pilots often try and put up a struggle. Jonny's struggle not to get thrown it was pretty amazing....so I am including the video. Enjoy the antics!
There are a few big miles stones in pilot training. One of these is the student pilot's first solo. This is where they have successfully reached a certain point in the syllabus and the student is ready for a short flight on their own. For this flight their instructor hands them their own wings, which the student places on their chest, and thus they have given the student permission to take this multi-million dollar air craft into the sky without assistance. It is a little nerve racking for the instructors. There have been things that have gone wrong during the solo, and there is no instructor to back them up or take the plane back. But it is exhilarating for the student pilot.
Jon's solo had been rescheduled a few times, but it finally happened! And I was very lucky to be off work that day. This meant I got to go watch, wait, and greet him at the end. I showed up a little early and Jon showed me to the flight room and introduced me to his instructor. I then hung out with his instructor and a couple of buddies as we went outside and watched him take off and leave our view. Everyone who walked by would say "A solo today?" and "Good Luck". I was glad to have the instructor with me, because I could not tell one T-6 from another, so I had to wait on him to let me know when Jon was coming in for a landing. Then we took the bus out to the flight line to meet him.
As a wife at the solo, my job was to greet him, and congratulate him, and take pictures. (And look hot--Jonny). So I filled my role. It was wonderful to be able to be there while he did something rather than just hear about it when he got home. I very much enjoyed the thrill of taking the plane by himself. It was the last time he would get to do that as well. All the rest of training would require a copilot. He is very much a pilot. he is amazing and he knows it. As he explained to me, all pilots are required to be a little cocky. They have to know they are good enough to handle whatever goes wrong, they can't be second guessing themselves.
The air force is full of traditions. The solo is no acceptation. The tradition associated with the first solo flight is to throw them in the dunk tank. When there is a solo happening people find out and are ready to tackle the student pilot after he removes his gear and before he makes it back to the flight room. This can get very exciting as the student pilots often try and put up a struggle. Jonny's struggle not to get thrown it was pretty amazing....so I am including the video. Enjoy the antics!
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