David's First Solo

The images in the movie you see attached chronicle what will always be one of the most significant days in my life. As such, Becky has encouraged me to share this on the blog.

If you know me well at all, you know that flying and anything to do with aviation is in my blood. I inherited it from my father who, being a pilot himself, passed on to me an absolute love of flying. I have enjoyed many priceless memories of past flights and days spent at the airport with my dad. Like many sons my life's dream was to follow in my dad's footsteps in that daddy flew F-89 Scorpions and F-94 Starfires while in the United States Air Force. And, although my testing and aptitude for becoming a pilot in the Air Force was good enough to qualify for flight school, unfortunately I was not blessed with sufficient eyesight and my vision kept me from realizing my dream of being a career military aviator. However, with God in control and knowing better for my life than me, He made a way for me to fly and get paid for it anyway and I have enjoyed a professional flying career now for 11 years as a flight nurse.

Words cannot adequately convey the meaning to me of the day I first flew an airplane by myself. Next to the day my daddy baptised me, mine and Becky's wedding day and the days our two boys were born, October 3, 2007 will always be one of the absolutely best days of my life. I had always heard that the greatest moment of your life as a pilot was the first time you land an airplane the day you solo. No. Not for me. There is an image in the movie that, after my instructor Mr. Ken King walks away from the airplane and I taxi to the runway, that you will see the very moment my wheels first left the ground. THAT moment in time will ALWAYS be the best feeling I will ever have flying. I am so thankful that God saw fit to let me live to experience that day, that flight and that feeling of finally, finally after 37 years of dreaming to finally be a pilot.

There are a few items of sentimental significance included in the movie. The fact that Becky was there to support me and experience that day with me was incredible. Thank you baby for being there and taking the pictures and video. I love you! I could not have done it without the instruction of Mr. Ken King and all of the lessons learned from my dad. The instrumental music is that of the United States Air Force Band playing "The Kittyhawk Flyer (The First Flight Suite)" as I felt it appropriate for the event of my first solo flight. I attempted to transition important events of the day along with transitional portions of the music. The movie ending with the open runway is the freedom of flying I now enjoy. Two thousand feet of roadway takes you exactly two thousand feet. Two thousand feet of runway takes you anywhere... "High Flight" is a poem by 19 year old Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., No 412 squadron, RCAF, Killed 11 December 1941. Pilot Officer Magee penned the poem, just a few months prior to his death, after being inspired by the experience of flying a spitfire over England during the Battle of Britian.

Some items of personal significance I took along for the flight were a Bible, photos of Becky, Noah and an ultrasound picture of Jackson who was born just two days later, photos of my mom and dad, some patches from my dad's 59th FIS squadron and some of my dads flight training tools. It was an incredible day!