The Road to My First Solo
I have been interested in flying since I was a child. When I saw a low flying plane I always stopped and stared at it. I loved to think about how an airplane flew and what it was like flying around big clouds.
My path to be a pilot started when my father got me Microsoft Flight Simulator for my computer and I loved it. I could fly all over the world and learn the physics of flying. I could also fly on-line with other sim pilots from around the world. Every weekend I and about thirteen other people would fly together from airport to airport. We went all over the world from Australia to Africa. This was a great experience for me because I could meet other people that had the same dream of flying as I did. I still fly with FS Top Gun today. I organized the Saturday night group flight on Top Gun in which most of the original members flew. This group of flyers were from several different countries including the UK and Brazil. Each Saturday we would pick a new location to fly in Flight Simulator and a new aircraft.
I had always been curious about what the tower and the planes were saying to each other. I saw an advertisement for an aviation band transceiver and decided to buy one. I could now listen to pilots and even talk back at a smaller private airfield. I started listening to the Tower chatter at Hanscom and Boston departure from my house. I was impressed with the organization of the landing and departure process. My father and I would also go to Hanscom Airfield in Bedford, Massachusetts and listen to the radio chatter and watch planes land. When I started taking flying lessons and talking on the radio I already knew what to say because I had heard all of it before.
Another favorite thing of mine has been to go to fly-ins at Parlin Field in Newport. At these fly-ins I got my first taste of the private pilot culture. The people I met seemed to know a lot and were very interesting. I especially liked when the tail-draggers came in and landed on the grass field. I imagined landing in some remote place in Alaska.
One day my dad met a pilot named Frank Lyons. After talking with my father for some time Frank offered to give me a ride in his Cessna 172 while he delivered the Atlantic Flyer to different airports around New Hampshire. We took off from Minute Man airport in Stow, Massachusetts and headed to Claremont, New Hampshire. We delivered 500 newspapers to 9 airports in New Hampshire.
This was my first time flying in a small plane and I loved it. Even though it was very bumpy that day, I still got a chance to control the plane and see how it reacted to different controls. I loved the feeling of freedom when I was in the air. I could go anywhere I wanted. At each stop people seemed very happy about the fact that Frank was delivering their Atlantic Flyer by plane. By the end of the day my passion for flying was magnified. Frank has taken an active interest in my flight training as a mentor. He has even taken me up in his Scottish Aviation Bulldog trainer. Flying the Bulldog is an exhilarating experience because of its sensitive controls. Frank has also given me a taste of the challenges of navigating during cross country flying. He has been a major factor in motivating me to pursue my dream of being a pilot.
Everyone that I've met who has been associated with flying has encouraged me to pursue my dream. My neighbor who flew an RA5C Vigilante for the Navy even gave me his flight manual. I was amazed with the amount he needed to know to fly that aircraft.
The next step for me was to get flying lessons. I started out taking lessons at Sterling, Airport in Sterling, Massachusetts flying a Cessna 150. I racked up ten hours at Sterling and then took a break to focus on my schoolwork. I continued flying lessons in the summer at Lebanon, New Hampshire. I didn't get as much flying time as I would have hoped at Lebanon because the weather in that location is inconsistent, especially in the mornings. We would constantly be canceling because of morning fog. In Lebanon I flew ten more hours with Signal Aviation. Flying was starting to be a normal weekly activity for me.
Learning to fly was just like learning to drive. I was doing my drivers education at the same time I was learning to fly. With the experience I had from flight simulator I was a natural at the controls the first time I flew.
As I became more interested in turning flying into a career I noticed other people that had the same idea. I joined the flying club at my high school. There were eight other kids who were taking flying lessons at my school. One of them decided to start a flying club so we could all get to know each other. We also had a couple pilots from the East Coast Aero Club in Nashua, New Hampshire come to help us plan and fly flights together. This is how I got connected with my current flight training. I now fly with East Coast Aero Club in Nashua.
My first solo was not a surprise because I had expected that it would happen that day. When my instructor, Andrew Stevens, said, “I think you're ready. Are you ready?”, I gulped a bit, but felt certain that I was ready to go it alone. After all, I knew this is what I've wanted for a long time. When he got out of the airplane and walked away it seemed very normal to me to be in the aircraft alone.
So, I talked to ground, received my taxi clearance and headed down the taxi-way. I received my take-off clearance, pulled onto the runway and took off. Everything was the way I had imagined it would be, I think because of my training. The first landing was near perfect, the second was good too, and the third was a bit more nerve-wracking because I came in a little too fast. Despite the challenge of the third landing I was proud that I had accomplished this milestone.
Now, with three solos behind me I'm ready to take on the next step. I just turned seventeen this July and am a senior at Lincoln Sudbury High School. I'm investigating colleges with flight programs and am eagerly looking forward to the next four to five years.
By Andrew Blohm, photos by his dad
