T-6 solo flight

He did it!  Matt overcame his motion sickness and developed his flying skills to the point that he was able to fly solo today!  It was amazing to watch.  We were able to view the whole thing from the flightline control tower and he did a fantastic job.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first, especially since the kids were watching too (they would never recover from actually witnessing a crash or something), but after seeing him nail his first "touch and go" (landing with an immediate takeoff again), we were able to relax, develop some real faith in his abilities, and enjoy his half-hour flight, during which he circled the tower a good 5-6 times and did a lot of landings.  We were lucky enough to capture some of it on film!



Daddy and his girls:

After the solo, it is customary for the pilot student to get dunked in an extremely cold and dirty tank in between life support and their classroom.  Supposedly, if you outrun your classmates (who try to catch you), they owe you a case of beer, but Matt's gluten intolerance and alcohol aversion made him an easy catch and he excitedly walked over to the tank with his guys.  :o)

On another note, Matt can also now shave off his mustache.  Pilot life is rich in tradition, and another one is growing out your 'stache until you solo.  This is also the best/fullest mustache he has ever grown!  Very impressive.