WooHoo!! A real Red Letter day!

This is what the SandCastle's driveway looks like tonight:

There is a new pilot in the SandCastle!

The SandCastle Queen painted this to celebrate the SCSon's passing his Private Pilot checkride!   He's been working on it for the better part of a year.  He completed the requirements last August but had a devil of a time to get scheduled with an examiner.  Today he had a 3 hour oral and 1.5 hr flight and walked away with a temporary pilot certificate.

This makes him a 4th generation pilot.  Great GrandFather (& Grand Uncle), Grandfather, Dad a couple cousins and now the SCSon.

Dave Hirschman wrote a very good article last year that well describes why we made this investment in him titled "Because he flies".  Let me humm a few bars.

...

Because he flies, he’s learned to plan for the worst, to prepare for aerial emergencies, and to always be ready to implement a Plan B (or C, or D) when things go awry. He’s experienced the limited value of forecasts firsthand. And he knows limitations such as how far, how fast, and how high his aircraft can fly; how much fuel it needs to reach a destination, and how much weight is safe to carry.

Because he flies, he’s learned to focus on the immediate task at hand. He can push the nagging trivialities of daily life aside and—at least during his time aloft—live entirely in the present.

Because he flies, he’ll be less tempted by the dangerous impulsivity that does such harm to every generation. Driving recklessly means nothing to those who know they can fly far faster than any highway speed limit. Excessive drinking and drug abuse can ground aviators, so hopefully he’ll steer clear of them. Flying rewards healthful moderation.

RTWT.

Congratulations to the SCSon.  Now don't get cocky
(Drive way artwork & photo credit SCQueen, copyright 2018.).