Another solo in Table Rock Aviation’s Sport Cub happened this morning with Ben Proffit at the controls! Ben is training to become a Sport Pilot and will now move on towards cross country flying. After soloing it is a long standing tradition to cut the shirt tail out of students (the ladies get theirs cut too but we ask them to bring another shirt of course!)  Here’s some pics of Ben after soloing and getting his shirt tail cut!

After taming the Beast!

He did great with 3 takeoffs and landings and some go-arounds for practice!

Are those scissors sharp?

 As usual the scissors were dull and rusty! I need to get a new pair and keep them on hand at the counter for Heather Gwyn!

Table Rock Aviation’s First Solo of the year is non other than Eric Brown. Eric soloed Table Rock Aviation’s Remos N447RA on runway 24 at the Hickory Regional Airport this past February 4, 2010.  Eric comments about his experience here:

“I was just sitting here thinking about this morning and my solo flight. It was an amazing experience. I was replaying it in my head and I could “hear” all the instructions and tips you had given me during my pre-solo landings going through my head as I was coming in for that first landing  today.

“Watch your airspeed, align it with the centerline,keep the numbers in the same spot in the windshield,let it settle, let it stop flying, ease it on, now hold the nosewheel off, hold it, hold it, keep it on the centerline…………now clean it up….full throttle and ease back on the stick, right rudder HA!”

I was a little nervous at first but that quickly diminished as I put your training into practice. By the way I did my flow on every landing perfectly.

I think you are a great pilot and at the same time a great teacher. These are two things which don’t always come in the same package. It’s obvious that you enjoy what you do and I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon you for my PPL training.

I’m looking forward to the rest of my training.”

At the rate Eric has been training it won’t be long before its time to take his checkride. Now we’re off to explore other airports and the wonderful world of night flying!