Checkride complete.

It was a long journey for me. I did my first solo in November 2021. I started lessons because of a long-time fear of flying, so just getting comfortable flying in a small plane was a challenge. Then it took even longer to become a confident pilot. I had over 140 hours logged when I scheduled my first checkride. Then right before I was ready to take my checkride, the FAA suspended my medical certificate, asking for more information about a surgery I had ten years ago. That was a 7 month delay clearing that up. Then after a couple more months of training, my checkride got postponed three times - twice for weather and once because the FAA's computer system went down. But today that part of the journey is over and I am officially a private pilot. During my medical suspension, I continued flying with my instructor to work on my instrument rating and have fulfilled most of the training requirements. Now I just have to build time and go for that rating. As this is just a hobby, I don't think I'll go further than that - no commercial or CFI for me. I do hope one day to fly for Pilots N PAWS.

Congrats!

Congratulations! That is a wonderful accomplishment.

Very cool. Got mine back in 1999. I stopped flying when we started our family. Every once in a while, the notion of starting again comes along.

Outstanding achievement! Congratulations.

Congratulations! That's always been a goal.of mine.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
...I stopped flying when we started our family. Every once in a while, the notion of starting again comes along.

I was out of a C-172 cockpit for 34 years, made it back with help from pals and AOPA.

https://aopa.org/training-and-safety/lapsed-pilots

Oh yeah, congrats to Chicago Sig Man.

Congratulations! Many years ago, I began lessons in a Cessna 150 and progressed past soloing when finances and life intervened. I never went back and finished up, one of my few major regrets in life.

Congrats!

If you have any interest in gliders the SSA Senior Nationals are taking place right now at Seminole Lake in Clermont. About 50 gliders going up every day this week.

https://www.soarfl.com/


4024 Soaring Lane
Clermont, FL 34714


Soaring can save you a lot of money and the hours can be used toward your goals.

http://www.tampabaysoaring.com

http://treasurecoastsoaringclub.org

Congratulations, are you close enough for Sun & Fun in a few weeks?

https://flysnf.org/

Way to go, that's an accomplishment. I did it when I was in my 20's, but then the costs started to get a little nuts and I made the decision to ground myself until I could afford to do it right. By the time that happened, I had developed enough other interests that I didn't seem to have the time, so I never got back to it.

Congratulations!

When I went on my practical check ride, I had just touched down in an awful 10+knot crosswind, applying full power, when the biggest bumble bee you've ever seen was shot into the cabin through the wing vent.
Now I'm trying to climb out with what sounds like a basket ball with wings and a hypodermic needle filled with make your life awful angrily bouncing around the roof of the 172.
I looked over at the examiner who was the biggest bear of a man, and exclaimed, "a bee in the cabin! we've got a goddamn bee in the cabin!!!"
He just calmly looks at me and asks, "well what are you going to do about it?"
All I could say was "fly the plane". So I did.
He reaches over, grabs my navi chart and start swatting at this black fuzzy flower demon while I'm finally made a turn to final and he says make it a short field and soft, remember I'have a 10+ direct crosswind too.
I've never set one down on one wheel so easy.
He as my taxi up a driveway yo by his office/trailer. I pull the mixture and he pops out of the plane like a champagne cork.

My instructor ran up and asked what I did to him! I told him nothing, I had a bee catapulted into the cabin.

I found it crawling on the floor and it flew out and away.

I got my ticket and flew back to my base airport.
No fanfare just filled out my logbook and went home.

The next weekend I went to rent my favorite plane, while at the desk, I hard my story being told to a student.

I had become a legend.

Congratulations!!

Welcome to the club! Did they wet you down or cut the back of your shirt out?

Congratulations!

WooHoo, congratulations! I read today there are about 500K licensed pilots in the US, and another 250K students. You're now part of the "elite" club; enjoy your efforts and the privilege to aviate. I passed my private checkride in 1979.

aileron

congratulatiosn!

Well done, Congratulations!

Congrats, I miss it often. I had about 34 hours logged & 2 instructors telling me I'd be checkride ready with not much over the 40 minimum needed.

Broke college student & losing my free plane access & super cheap CFI put a damper on it & never got back to it.

Congratulations!