Solo Flight 30th Anniversary

[Sven]

I celebrated the 30th anniversary of my solo flight tonight. I remember the day so vividly. I still have my shirt tail with the date and instructor's signature. Those three landings are still all in my top 10. I have yet to meet a pilot who's forgotten his/her solo. It was in a Traumahawk. Little did I know the time spent in that little bird would train me float like a Mooney on landing.

-Sven

[mulro767]

Congrats on so many safe years of flying Sven! I'm coming up on 25 years since my first solo.  And yes I remember it like it was yesterday. My favorite part was calling my Dad up and telling him I had soloed that day.  His classic response, "That's great! So the instructor didn't touch the controls at all?" I told him the instructor was in the control tower.  There was a bit of silence on the other end.  I was just 17!

[flyboy0681]

I remember my checkride from 30 years ago. I did my primary out of Caldwell, New Jersey and it was a warm June morning. I picked up the inspector at Teterboro and we went to it. One thing that really stood out from that day was a close pass by a TWA L-1011 going into Newark. I also screwed up a few things on the test and throught I had blown it.

After parking I just sat in the plane for a minute and the guy (Verl Doolin) said "do you want your license or not".

[John Pleisse]

I solo'd on my 16th birthday after training since 14. This anniversary came and went June of this year and I really didn't stop to recognize it. Ironically, I visited the grass stip I solo'ed on (now new homes) and found one remaining hangar (now an out building for lawn equip). The old door to the flight school office was still intact with several old AOPA stickers, Aershell stickers, EAA logos FAA stickers, etc. All with logos/artwork of the mid 1970's. I almost broke into the office to see what I could find (now abandoned property).