I remember watching my 16 year old son driving off on his own for the first time and how it felt. Watching your child rotate into the blue by herself, I can't imagine!
memories of first solo... mine earned me a gnarly scar on my chin and raspberrys on my palms, one so deep it had to be chemically cauterized. and i didn't even get 3 feet off the ground!
Such a cool, calm, and reasoned young lady! At the rate she is going, I would love to fly with her as my pilot in a commercial airliner when she gets there! Great work! By the way, dad, you did great!
Every time I watch solo flights I get super emotional. I remember mine like it was yesterday, every breath and every feeling. Congratulations! Welcome to the sky!
palonazo I love watching these videos of solo flights on small planes. The only thing I would like them to do is talk us through what they are doing. On all these videos there is no sound, sometimes we may hear the pilot for a second or so. Please make videos with the pilot telling us what they are doing. I am seventy years of age and if I had the money I would love to try flying a small plane. I know I'm too oils for a licence, I just would like to cross this off my bucket list.
Everytime I leave the ground I get that giddy feeling. Laughing, or "Yeehooo!"'ing. The later is great for shedding stress after a parachute jump or a paragliding launch.... or landing. When you are high up, alone and nobody can hear you scream, make use of that fact and YEEEHOOOOO! as loud as you possibly can and then laugh. It will drop your stress 90%.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that teared up on that one. I can only hope that my 6 year old daughter gets the bug and the drive to do it. I will be balling on the taxiway. Beautiful video that your family will have forever. Congratulations Maddie! (and Dad)
I too, teared up watching this video and I was so surprised at my reaction . These days, we are so used to seeing young teenagers spend all their time on social media, not doing much with their lives, and I got emotional and felt so very proud of Maddie on her first solo flight . Dad, hats off to you for raising a beautiful and talented young lady , so proud of both of you .
I'm a retired weather forecaster (served in both Air Force and Marines in Vietnam). I was around when both services pinned the wings on our first lady pilots. It was a thrill then and it's still a thrill to see someone your age solo. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you want to go commercial air, getting some stick time in the military is a good way to go. Enjoy it for the rest of your life Maddie!
Congratulations Maddie and Congratulations Dad! Must be hard for a father to get out of the plane, but obviously you trained Maddie well and she did great!
Maddies "65 rotate... we are flyin!"... then the smile brought tears to my eyes. Its been many years since my first solo but her expression brought it all back to me. I remember I started singing, "up, up and away" which sort of dates when it occurred. Hope you may always love it as I do, Ms. Maddie. No feeling in the world like flying solo, especially at night in clear skies with a bright moon and tail wind... When doing that I often found myself thinking I was the most blest person on earth to have the skill and resources to do it. And as advice... in your logbook after every flight make a note of what you learned on that flight. Congratulations...from an envious old man....
I'm soloing here in a week @ 16. I've been watching videos of people's first solo for years and years, I still haven't even wrapped my head around the fact that I'M going to be doing it very soon. Awesome job on your solo!
Fantastic! great job.She has a great future ahead of her.I was 19 when I soloed and also remember it as it was yesterday .I wish we had mini cams back then too :^) such great souvenirs.I flew 20 great years until I lost my medical do to medical issue , so enjoy every flight as if it was the last.I miss flying so much like I lost part of my life.
@Despiser Despised Do you fly with regular airline? If sou when you hear the captain is a women do you ask for a parachute to jump out of the plane? Advise never fly commercially.
I was wondering the same thing. You've got to be a pretty miserable person to not like seeing a young person accomplish something like this. She's a really nice kid too!
Maddie, well done! Safe, good radio work, good technique, good situational awareness, AND (!) you have acquired the "touch" of "squeaking on" the landing of a short wing Cherokee! You were well ahead of the aircraft throughout. You are obviously the product of good instruction and a good attitude. You now have your "permit to learn" all that makes a pilot. Now go ahead and do "a hundred things your peers will never dream of"! :)
Excellent videography and beautifully executed. I'm not a pilot or even a parent but I was filled with pride and joy for Maddie and your entire family. Thank you for sharing.
I was watching this and thinking how proud you must have been.So many 16 year old girls have their heads buried in their phones and boy drama crap,and here is one who is smart enough to fly an airplane.Quite a breath of fresh air.
Thanks for sharing this special time with the rest of us aviator aficionados! Really great to see Dad & Mom providing support for this accomplishment. Wish you all the best in life!
Maddie's Daddy taught his daughter over the years with so much confidence, and love from he great father, as a great teacher, life friend , to make her to be a n excellent piolet
I knew she was going to be calm and collected after seeing the photo montage at the beginning. She literally grew up with this. Still exciting, I can't imagine how proud her father must be. I thought this had some of the best views of the landing of all the "first solo" videos.
Love the confidence and the verbal talkback, crosschecking herself around the pattern. Especially love the scan! The young lady has obviously been given a good foundation. Congratulations, Maddie!
Great video! Wonderful dad and mom, and beautiful daughter. It’s so heartening to see a toddler growing up to be a full fledged pilot. My two twin grandsons, aged nine years, are being encouraged to fly like their grandpa (going 76) who will be doing solo soon, having just passed all my 9 PPL written exams. I have forwarded this video to them both. Once again, well done. And, congrats. Sonny M Din, student pilot, Elstree London Aerodrome.
As a young boy growing up in Hong Kong, my ambition was to be a pilot, but, it was not meant to be as a career. Still, I am thankful for having reached this far, and am grateful to my Instructor at Air Academy in Elstree London. God willing, I may live long enough to see myself qualified as a PPL pilot, plus watching Moses and Jesus (my grand twins) start their first flights at age 14. Hope your videos will inspire them.
This is the coolest! Congrats, Maddie!! I love the smile right after the first take off -- Proud of yourself and loving life... Didn't seem nervous at all. Made me smile too. Great job!
I'm so jealous. I had every opportunity...growing up with two parents who were avid pilots. I had 16 hours of flying time but chickened out at solo time never to finish what I started. I'm now 66 and watching you makes me want to jump back into the pilot's seat. I will always love aviation. CONGRATULATIONS!!! You should be so proud of accomplishing this so young. I know your parents are!
Never too late! I just started flight school. You can do that solo! As my driving instructor told me learning to drive "Drive the damn car" Now, it's just fly the damn plane. :)
THEY ALL WORKED TOGETHER AS ONE THE FATHER, THE DAUGHTER, THE CONTROL TOWER PEOPLE , ALL THREE MADE IT HAPPEN THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING LIFE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFT
watering the young seeds in the garden really makes a difference in ones life THANK YOU BOTH FOR SHARING SUCH BEAUTIFUL TEACHING TO YOUR DAUGHTER WHO HAS LEARNED SO WELL THROUGH HER GREAT FATHER, JOB WELL DONE TO YOU. YOU KNOW HOW TO WATER THE PLANTS WELL.
Wow! I cried a bit! Kinda jealous for a couple of reasons: I never got to do my flight training (I was in the British ATC - Air Training Corps - but I left in serious disappointment because I was told I'd never be an RAF pilot since I wear glasses; my biggest regret ever!); and you get to see your wee'n go solo and go so well. Mine's a year or so older but might never get to do this, even if the idea might interest her. Please add my congratulations to those already given to Maddie. She looked like she was really enjoying this flight. PS- I cannot believe that there's (as at this post) nine people who dislked this video. That is a sign of personal attrociousness on the parts of those doing that. Just now, there's 374 likes, and - when I've posted this comment - there's going to be 375. Well done, both of you!
One can feel the excitement that this young lady must have felt during this! It does the heart so good to see a loving father and daughter, sharing such an adventure, as flying. Brings back such vivid memories of the day I soloed in a Cherokee Warrior on Aug.24, 1984. I was taught by my father in his airplane at 12. At the time he had a 1946 Bellanca with a 165 hp Franklin. Such memories !! God Bless this beautiful family !! Great job, Maddie and Dad !!
You must be so incredibly proud of her. I was a late bloomer to the world of aviation (31 when I did my first solo) but I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Hard to forget your first solo. ATC told me to do a "short approach", so I cut my power and did it. My instructor nearly had a heart attack. After that, I would go up to the tower when I soloed my students to make sure they were taken care of.
Congratulations to Maddie and you. Glad my video of Lillymae inspired you to post a video of this milestone. I don't have kids of my own, so I borrow them from parents and teach them to fly. I like the "Airspeed is life" quotation. Including a shot of the shirt-tail ceremony is a nice touch. I still have an audio recording of my first solo, thirty-some years ago. Video cameras of the day were prohibitively expensive, and probably wouldn't have fit in the plane anyway. I listen to that recording from time to time.
Thanks very much. That's great that you teach kids to fly. I like giving "discovery rides" to kids whenever I can. We've got to get the next generation to look up from their phones and experience stuff like this. They ALWAYS love it! My son is 10 and itching to get started. We may try having him solo a glider when he's 14. I don't know much about it, but I'm starting to ask around.
Ten is a good age to get started, and gliders are a ideal for initial training, not to mention the 2-year head start for soloing. I soloed a kid, Bryan, at 14. Bryan's a 737 captain on Southwest now. He'll tell anyone who asks that he's glad he had the opportunity to get his first training in a glider. You could get your commercial glider add-on at the same time your son takes lessons.
Cool, calm and collected. The tire chirps indicate that you did a damn good job. Good radio technique, very professional-sounding. Y'all should be extremely proud.
I know as a father you were friking nerves, and proud at the same time I put my self in your shoes. If I was crazy nervous when I saw my daughter first time driving, I probably pass out to see my girl taking off. Congratulations and hope everything go well for her in the years to come.
Yep, my father taught me to fly since I a new-born. I recall asking him for the keys to the airplane before asking for the car keys. Only reason needed a car was to get to the airfields.
Teach your teenager to fly, and then she'll be like, "Daaaaaaad, can I pleeease borrow the aaaairplane?" :) Or Dad: "You got a 'D' in Algebra this quarter, you lose your airplane privileges until that grade comes up!!" :p
After all that hard work to solo, she'll need the continuing practise for currency/recency at least. Even if she does get a low mark in some class (which I very highly doubt), the flying practice clearly too important to ever be a bargaining chip. Top marks for those circuits btw. Everything looked bang on.
Now this is a great thing. A dad being able to teach his daughter useful knowledge she can use how ever she feels like it fits in her life whether it’s just as a hobby or as a career in flying.
Things I see in too many videos that I don't approve of. 1) Not using airport name at beginning and ending of radio calls. 2) Not guarding the throttle during the climb. 3) Not calling every leg of the pattern, I see downwind and maybe a final, some call downwind and that's it. Which of those did I see in this video? That's right none of them, she's got good habits. Things I notice that I do like. 1) She's got situational awareness, she saw the plane and knew her dad would say something and she apparently saw a balloon, so she's not flying the instrument panel she's paying attention to what's going on outside. 2) Airspeed is life, is similar to something I was taught in the early 80's. I was taught the three most important things when landing are airspeed, airspeed and airspeed. Outstanding job you have done with this kid as you call her. BTW I had a female flight instructor.
This looks (to me) like a small, remote, casual, and low-traffic airfield where everyone basically knows each other - not some crowded busy urban hub. Following professional protocols is always good habit. Maybe it's even the law, I dunno. But let the kid have some fun and make some harmless mistakes on her first solo.
Well done Maddie, flying with such finnesse, such a professional take off and landing, it was a pleasure watching, keep flying, keep aiming high, Love From United Kingdom xx
Got me all chocked up!! LOL...As a Father and a Pilot I can imagine how proud ur Dad must feel... Congrats to both!!! Wish u a Blessed and awesome flying future!!
Congrats to both the new pilot, (Well Done!!!), and the Proud Papa ;-) Always wished my son or daughter would have had an interest in aviation... Oh well, thank you for sharing your baby girls accomplishment with us :-) Keep the greasy side down, and the shiny side up ;-) God Bless 0:-)
Good job helping your daughter succeed in life, not to many Dads out there are motivated to do that. You’ll have a good relationship forever with your daughter.
I'M SURE YOU LOVE YOUR MOM AND POP FOR PUTTING SO MUCH LOVE AND TRUST AND DISCIPLINE INTO THEIR DAUGHTER GOD BLESS YOU ALL PLEASE TEACH OTHERS ALONG THE WAYS OF LIFE THAT YOU TAUGHT YOUR DAUGHTER, THANK YOU THANK YOU
I was Maddies age doing my first circuits in a Piper Pa28 in the U.K. such amazing memories & my sons 3years old will he follow dads footsteps as an airline pilot or mums footsteps as a doctor…., flyings so much more fun 😉 congratulations 🎉
Wow! This is awesome! As a father of a 7 year old daughter - this really resonated with me - you must be so proud!
Thanks very much! I really admire your flight videos. I wish I had your editing skills (and another Gopro).
Glad to see your watching the same things I watch. lol love your videos
impressive when you see what has become of the girl... really amazing...
aramirez13303 shut up dipshit, your making no sense
aramirez13303, Feel free to fuckoff any time, sooner than soon!. Dipshit.
I got emotional because of the parents helping and watching their child succeed. great work mom and dad
Despiser Despised troll
Oh god I thought something was wrong with me lol. Same thing happened to me.
Agreed so refreshing to see parents support their kids goals.
It's been one of my mom's aspirations to fly in a plane that one of us pilots, I'm trying to save up for ppl-a so I can make that a reality 🙏🏻
I remember watching my 16 year old son driving off on his own for the first time and how it felt. Watching your child rotate into the blue by herself, I can't imagine!
It was pretty nerve wracking!
I get so emotional when I see people go solo for the first time.....memories of my first solo.... awesome work kiddo
memories of first solo... mine earned me a gnarly scar on my chin and raspberrys on my palms, one so deep it had to be chemically cauterized. and i didn't even get 3 feet off the ground!
me too
No pilot will ever forget first solo!
My sentiments exactly... outstanding!!! 👍👍👍
“There goes my baby.”
Yup. Felt that.
I keep thinking how confident she was. Awesome and congratulations.
She didn't seem to very nervous. I was nervous enough for the the both of us!
As an RC Pilot... I can appreciate the time and effort it took Maddie to accomplish this goal in full scale. Congrats to both of you. Excellent !!
Beautiful, smart and gifted. Congrats, 4 years later.
Such a cool, calm, and reasoned young lady! At the rate she is going, I would love to fly with her as my pilot in a commercial airliner when she gets there! Great work! By the way, dad, you did great!
Yeah she has a good manner for a pilot. She stays cool even when she's probably very excited inside.
Congratulations to a beautiful, bright young lady. May you live long and prosper. Way to go, Dad.
"Live long and prosper?" What are you...a Vulcan?? :)
quinnjim On my mother’s side
Way to go girl, LIKE A PRO ! 👍👍
Every time I watch solo flights I get super emotional. I remember mine like it was yesterday, every breath and every feeling. Congratulations! Welcome to the sky!
Every pilot remembers their first solo. Mine was almost 30 years ago, and I remember it clearly. Great achievement!
quinnjim Mine was 2001... beechcraft skipper.
I remember mine when I was 17. And I won't forget mine. It was in a 1968 Piper Cherokee 140 and she was sweet.
I think its that part where you look around and realise you're alone. The aircraft also behaving slightly differently with the decreased weight.
palonazo I love watching these videos of solo flights on small planes. The only thing I would like them to do is talk us through what they are doing. On all these videos there is no sound, sometimes we may hear the pilot for a second or so. Please make videos with the pilot telling us what they are doing. I am seventy years of age and if I had the money I would love to try flying a small plane. I know I'm too oils for a licence, I just would like to cross this off my bucket list.
I taught both of my daughters how to fly so can relate to this. You go girl!
Brought a tear to my eye. It's so cool to see a supportive dad like you are. Well done.
She looked like she'd been doing it all her life...because she has! 😊 Great job dad, mom and pilot!
Right? That was a level of command you only get from years of experience. Her childhood in aviation really shows.
Beautiful. Father and daughter. I swear I cry !!!
Gotta love this young lady's calmness and confidence.Your gonna make a great pilot there.Your dad is surely proud of you.
Way to go maddie. I remember my first solo. Now I’m flying fighter jets. Congrats
Bobby O a.
What Your monthly Bill?
Thank you, sir, for doing your part to help keep general aviation alive! Congratulations to you and your daughter
"We are flying." (laughs)
After 40 years since my first solo, I still feel the same way at times. Congrats!
Everytime I leave the ground I get that giddy feeling. Laughing, or "Yeehooo!"'ing. The later is great for shedding stress after a parachute jump or a paragliding launch.... or landing. When you are high up, alone and nobody can hear you scream, make use of that fact and YEEEHOOOOO! as loud as you possibly can and then laugh. It will drop your stress 90%.
What a great bonding experience for a father and daughter to share. Neither will ever forget that day.....
I'm sure I'm not the only one that teared up on that one. I can only hope that my 6 year old daughter gets the bug and the drive to do it. I will be balling on the taxiway. Beautiful video that your family will have forever. Congratulations Maddie! (and Dad)
Exploring L.A How does it feel to be someone this world can do without.
I too, teared up watching this video and I was so surprised at my reaction . These days, we are so used to seeing young teenagers spend all their time on social media, not doing much with their lives, and I got emotional and felt so very proud of Maddie on her first solo flight . Dad, hats off to you for raising a beautiful and talented young lady , so proud of both of you .
@
I guess you are still stupid and a psychopath as you were a year ago. What a stupid comment you made.
I'm a retired weather forecaster (served in both Air Force and Marines in Vietnam). I was around when both services pinned the wings on our first lady pilots. It was a thrill then and it's still a thrill to see someone your age solo. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you want to go commercial air, getting some stick time in the military is a good way to go. Enjoy it for the rest of your life Maddie!
Nice!
How did you serve in both sir ?
Congratulations Maddie and Congratulations Dad! Must be hard for a father to get out of the plane, but obviously you trained Maddie well and she did great!
Maddies "65 rotate... we are flyin!"... then the smile brought tears to my eyes. Its been many years since my first solo but her expression brought it all back to me. I remember I started singing, "up, up and away" which sort of dates when it occurred. Hope you may always love it as I do, Ms. Maddie. No feeling in the world like flying solo, especially at night in clear skies with a bright moon and tail wind... When doing that I often found myself thinking I was the most blest person on earth to have the skill and resources to do it. And as advice... in your logbook after every flight make a note of what you learned on that flight. Congratulations...from an envious old man....
Now daddy can officially retire and have the daughter fly HIM everywhere. Congrats !!!
She handled it like a pro
Good Job, Maddie!
This brought back memories of my solo flight back in the day.
May you always have clear skies, calm winds and smoooooth runways.
Well done both, heartening - it's videos like these that make RUclips such a delight..
I'm soloing here in a week @ 16. I've been watching videos of people's first solo for years and years, I still haven't even wrapped my head around the fact that I'M going to be doing it very soon. Awesome job on your solo!
Never i would think this was her first solo.
Very relaxed and looked like she did it forever.
Good job.... and great future.
Fantastic! great job.She has a great future ahead of her.I was 19 when I soloed and also remember it as it was yesterday .I wish we had mini cams back then too :^) such great souvenirs.I flew 20 great years until I lost my medical do to medical issue , so enjoy every flight as if it was the last.I miss flying so much like I lost part of my life.
Thanks for the ride Maddie, Awesome job! You were obviously born to fly.....
porbably was because it seems like family has a history of flying so yeah.
@Despiser Despised Do you fly with regular airline? If sou when you hear the captain is a women do you ask for a parachute to jump out of the plane?
Advise never fly commercially.
This is what it's all about! So nice to see a parent and child working toward their dream! Good job, dad, and safe flying to you Maddie!
How cool this is Dad is so proud and the kid did amazing, I guess the Apple don’t fall very far from the tree, congratulations!!!
Great Video.
Really enjoyed it.
Congratulations to Maddie, but also to you John as an instructor and proud father.
Best of luck.
How can 6 people give this a dislike? This is one of the best videos ever. It's not often you see such maturity and confidence in a 16 yo.
I was wondering the same thing. You've got to be a pretty miserable person to not like seeing a young person accomplish something like this. She's a really nice kid too!
now there are 35 As**** with dislikes ..
probably envy is killing them i guess ....
now 35 out of 188.000 is actually negligible !!! hehehehe ...
Way to go maddie. I remember my first solo. Now I’m Flying fighter jets.
envy probably...
I liked the vid.. . But she is still a kid ... maybe u have an iron heart, dude!
Maddie, well done! Safe, good radio work, good technique, good situational awareness, AND (!) you have acquired the "touch" of "squeaking on" the landing of a short wing Cherokee! You were well ahead of the aircraft throughout. You are obviously the product of good instruction and a good attitude. You now have your "permit to learn" all that makes a pilot. Now go ahead and do "a hundred things your peers will never dream of"! :)
Excellent videography and beautifully executed. I'm not a pilot or even a parent but I was filled with pride and joy for Maddie and your entire family. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks oceandrew!
Young lady this is a day you will never forget. I still remember my solo some 70 years ago. Congratulations to you.
I was watching this and thinking how proud you must have been.So many 16 year old girls have their heads buried in their phones and boy drama crap,and here is one who is smart enough to fly an airplane.Quite a breath of fresh air.
Well said !
Excellent flying, very calm, great radio calls, and she obviously had a great teacher. You all should be very proud!
Vou uma aluna aplicada meu parabéns do seu fã brasileiro Antônio Gonçalves Deus abençoe você é todos da sua família até breve chaus Antônio Gonçalves
Thanks for sharing this special time with the rest of us aviator aficionados! Really great to see Dad & Mom providing support for this accomplishment. Wish you all the best in life!
Maddie's Daddy taught his daughter over the years with so much confidence, and love from he great father, as a great teacher, life friend , to make her to be a n excellent piolet
I clicked because I thought this was the 17 year old Maggie that had to land her plane without a wheel
me too! Almost the same name, but different young Maddie/Maggies! Both are amazing ladies, as well.
me too, nice to meet you anyway x
lol me too
I thought the very same thing. Nice plane, it is probably the “family” plane.
Right me too
wow, nice landing. I know for fact my first wasn't that calm. Great job!!
Great story via pictures and video. Now she is one of us. Thanks for sharing.
Hard to believe that was her first solo - she was confident and skilled as they come - a real natural!
I knew she was going to be calm and collected after seeing the photo montage at the beginning. She literally grew up with this. Still exciting, I can't imagine how proud her father must be. I thought this had some of the best views of the landing of all the "first solo" videos.
Great job Maddie 👏 My dad was a Cessna and Piper dealer so I learned to fly in 172's and Cherokee's. My best landing were always in a Cherokee.
Got kind of emotional when she did the touch and go and her father was on his knees watching her ❤️
Your the best dad great daughter could ever want I would deffo take a ride with her!!
Beautiful young lady. I'm sure you are proud! Thanks for sharing the experience with us.
Well done on the solo , best of luck with the rest of your training , great landings ..
As a grandpa of 4 girls, I really enjoyed watching Maddie and Dad. Great first solo. Good job, Dad.
Love the confidence and the verbal talkback, crosschecking herself around the pattern. Especially love the scan!
The young lady has obviously been given a good foundation. Congratulations, Maddie!
Great video! Wonderful dad and mom, and beautiful daughter. It’s so heartening to see a toddler growing up to be a full fledged pilot. My two twin grandsons, aged nine years, are being encouraged to fly like their grandpa (going 76) who will be doing solo soon, having just passed all my 9 PPL written exams. I have forwarded this video to them both. Once again, well done. And, congrats.
Sonny M Din, student pilot, Elstree London Aerodrome.
Thanks so much! Grandpa is going to solo at 76? That's really great. It's never too late (or too early) to fly.
As a young boy growing up in Hong Kong, my ambition was to be a pilot, but, it was not meant to be as a career. Still, I am thankful for having reached this far, and am grateful to my Instructor at Air Academy in Elstree London. God willing, I may live long enough to see myself qualified as a PPL pilot, plus watching Moses and Jesus (my grand twins) start their first flights at age 14. Hope your videos will inspire them.
"Airspeed is LIFE!!" Fantastic and absolutely true.
+Wheelman 94 I will remember that saying and who I first heard say it. 😀
and never forget the most useless things are the runway behind you and the air above you.
Only in straight and level flight.
Having been there many many years ago, I know exactly how it feels. I know dad was proud of you but so was I!! Keep it up Maddie!!
Brings back a lot of good memories. Great job dad, she’s a natural!
Reginald Workman Thank you Reginald. You always remember the first solo. After 19,000 hours in the air, that flight was my most memorable.
Wow! I have a 1 yo daughter....can't imagine watching her fly solo 15 short years from now. You guys are awesome, way to go!!
You gotta be one proud Dad.
@Provocateur flying is safer than getting in a car.
This is the coolest! Congrats, Maddie!! I love the smile right after the first take off -- Proud of yourself and loving life... Didn't seem nervous at all. Made me smile too. Great job!
I'm so jealous. I had every opportunity...growing up with two parents who were avid pilots. I had 16 hours of flying time but chickened out at solo time never to finish what I started. I'm now 66 and watching you makes me want to jump back into the pilot's seat. I will always love aviation. CONGRATULATIONS!!! You should be so proud of accomplishing this so young. I know your parents are!
Never too late! I just started flight school. You can do that solo! As my driving instructor told me learning to drive "Drive the damn car" Now, it's just fly the damn plane. :)
THEY ALL WORKED TOGETHER AS ONE THE FATHER, THE DAUGHTER, THE CONTROL TOWER PEOPLE , ALL THREE MADE IT HAPPEN THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING LIFE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFT
watering the young seeds in the garden really makes a difference in ones life THANK YOU BOTH FOR SHARING SUCH BEAUTIFUL TEACHING TO YOUR DAUGHTER WHO HAS LEARNED SO WELL THROUGH HER GREAT FATHER, JOB WELL DONE TO YOU. YOU KNOW HOW TO WATER THE PLANTS WELL.
So awesome gives me goose bumps watching i!! Way to go GIRL!!
Wow!
I cried a bit!
Kinda jealous for a couple of reasons: I never got to do my flight training (I was in the British ATC - Air Training Corps - but I left in serious disappointment because I was told I'd never be an RAF pilot since I wear glasses; my biggest regret ever!); and you get to see your wee'n go solo and go so well. Mine's a year or so older but might never get to do this, even if the idea might interest her.
Please add my congratulations to those already given to Maddie. She looked like she was really enjoying this flight.
PS- I cannot believe that there's (as at this post) nine people who dislked this video. That is a sign of personal attrociousness on the parts of those doing that. Just now, there's 374 likes, and - when I've posted this comment - there's going to be 375. Well done, both of you!
Wtg!!! That was so awesome!! She's a natural!!! God bless!!!
One can feel the excitement that this young lady must have felt during this! It does the heart so good to see a loving father and daughter, sharing such an adventure, as flying. Brings back such vivid memories of the day I soloed in a Cherokee Warrior on Aug.24, 1984. I was taught by my father in his airplane at 12. At the time he had a 1946 Bellanca with a 165 hp Franklin. Such memories !! God Bless this beautiful family !!
Great job, Maddie and Dad !!
Thanks Gary. You never forget your first solo. Pretty cool that your dad got to teach you.
You must be so incredibly proud of her. I was a late bloomer to the world of aviation (31 when I did my first solo) but I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Hard to forget your first solo. ATC told me to do a "short approach", so I cut my power and did it. My instructor nearly had a heart attack. After that, I would go up to the tower when I soloed my students to make sure they were taken care of.
Congratulations to Maddie and you. Glad my video of Lillymae inspired you to post a video of this milestone. I don't have kids of my own, so I borrow them from parents and teach them to fly. I like the "Airspeed is life" quotation. Including a shot of the shirt-tail ceremony is a nice touch.
I still have an audio recording of my first solo, thirty-some years ago. Video cameras of the day were prohibitively expensive, and probably wouldn't have fit in the plane anyway. I listen to that recording from time to time.
Thanks very much. That's great that you teach kids to fly. I like giving "discovery rides" to kids whenever I can. We've got to get the next generation to look up from their phones and experience stuff like this. They ALWAYS love it!
My son is 10 and itching to get started. We may try having him solo a glider when he's 14. I don't know much about it, but I'm starting to ask around.
Ten is a good age to get started, and gliders are a ideal for initial training, not to mention the 2-year head start for soloing. I soloed a kid, Bryan, at 14. Bryan's a 737 captain on Southwest now. He'll tell anyone who asks that he's glad he had the opportunity to get his first training in a glider. You could get your commercial glider add-on at the same time your son takes lessons.
A proud moment. I feel proud just watching her. Great job.
Boy don't you know that Dad is a very proud man!
Cool, calm and collected. The tire chirps indicate that you did a damn good job. Good radio technique, very professional-sounding. Y'all should be extremely proud.
I know as a father you were friking nerves, and proud at the same time I put my self in your shoes. If I was crazy nervous when I saw my daughter first time driving, I probably pass out to see my girl taking off.
Congratulations and hope everything go well for her in the years to come.
That is so good. I would love to be able to fly. Be safe.
Yep, my father taught me to fly since I a new-born. I recall asking him for the keys to the airplane before asking for the car keys. Only reason needed a car was to get to the airfields.
And for 98% of the rest of your travels.
Teach your teenager to fly, and then she'll be like, "Daaaaaaad, can I pleeease borrow the aaaairplane?" :)
Or Dad: "You got a 'D' in Algebra this quarter, you lose your airplane privileges until that grade comes up!!" :p
Yeayeah dad i want to go for shopping
If she can fly safely, there's no way she's getting a D in anything.
After all that hard work to solo, she'll need the continuing practise for currency/recency at least. Even if she does get a low mark in some class (which I very highly doubt), the flying practice clearly too important to ever be a bargaining chip. Top marks for those circuits btw. Everything looked bang on.
Airspeed is life!... Loved and adopted that phrase from now on! Congratulations to the Father and Daughter team!
Now this is a great thing. A dad being able to teach his daughter useful knowledge she can use how ever she feels like it fits in her life whether it’s just as a hobby or as a career in flying.
Things I see in too many videos that I don't approve of.
1) Not using airport name at beginning and ending of radio calls.
2) Not guarding the throttle during the climb.
3) Not calling every leg of the pattern, I see downwind and maybe a final, some call downwind and that's it.
Which of those did I see in this video?
That's right none of them, she's got good habits.
Things I notice that I do like.
1) She's got situational awareness, she saw the plane and knew her dad would say something and she apparently saw a balloon, so she's not flying the instrument panel she's paying attention to what's going on outside.
2) Airspeed is life, is similar to something I was taught in the early 80's. I was taught the three most important things when landing are airspeed, airspeed and airspeed.
Outstanding job you have done with this kid as you call her.
BTW I had a female flight instructor.
THINGS | SEE IN TOO MANY VIDEOS THAT | DON‘T APPROVE OF
1 NOT USING AIRPORT
Before I clicked the "show more" I was about to leave you a very nasty reply LOL!
This looks (to me) like a small, remote, casual, and low-traffic airfield where everyone basically knows each other - not some crowded busy urban hub.
Following professional protocols is always good habit. Maybe it's even the law, I dunno. But let the kid have some fun and make some harmless mistakes on her first solo.
5000 hr instructor here. You are right on the money. I picked those things up to when showing videos like this to my students.
Well done Maddie, flying with such finnesse, such a professional take off and landing, it was a pleasure watching, keep flying, keep aiming high, Love From United Kingdom xx
That's amazing.
I wish I had someone at that age to do that with me.
Nice job
I will never forget my first solo, a pilot at last , now to get the ticket to carry friends and all. It is a Fantastic feeling. WELL Done..
GREAT DADS AS MENTORS CREATE GREAT OFF SPRINGS GOD BLESS THE THE BOTH OF YOU FOR SHARING YOUR LIFE AND EXPERIENCES WITH ALL
Congrats Maddie. Greethings from Italy
That was amazing, Maddie! Congrats! So cool! Professional! Wish you all the best!
That's awesome, congrats on your daughters first flight! Can't wait until I finish my license now :)
Maddie is a natural, she will go places as a pilot and follow in dad's footsteps!
Got me all chocked up!! LOL...As a Father and a Pilot I can imagine how proud ur Dad must feel... Congrats to both!!! Wish u a Blessed and awesome flying future!!
Congrats to both the new pilot, (Well Done!!!), and the Proud Papa ;-) Always wished my son or daughter would have had an interest in aviation... Oh well, thank you for sharing your baby girls accomplishment with us :-) Keep the greasy side down, and the shiny side up ;-) God Bless 0:-)
can i be honest i am sort of surprised your kid did not.
I'm so proud of your. Great job
Great Accomplishment!!!
Good job helping your daughter succeed in life, not to many Dads out there are motivated to do that. You’ll have a good relationship forever with your daughter.
MUST BE NICE TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL AND POSITIVE PARENTS LIKE YOU HAVE, I LEARNED THOUGH ALL OF YOU THANK YOU ALL
"There goes my baby and I was all freaking out!"
Very very cool Congrats job well done. 😀
Beautiful, amazing, inspiring. Thank you and Congratulations !
I'M SURE YOU LOVE YOUR MOM AND POP FOR PUTTING SO MUCH LOVE AND TRUST AND DISCIPLINE INTO THEIR DAUGHTER GOD BLESS YOU ALL PLEASE TEACH OTHERS ALONG THE WAYS OF LIFE THAT YOU TAUGHT YOUR DAUGHTER, THANK YOU THANK YOU
I was Maddies age doing my first circuits in a Piper Pa28 in the U.K. such amazing memories & my sons 3years old will he follow dads footsteps as an airline pilot or mums footsteps as a doctor…., flyings so much more fun 😉 congratulations 🎉