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Great article, John, but I am more impressed with something else..
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I remember that very day, November 17, 1964 when Jean-Paul put that certificate #1481784 on the line, stepped out of that Cessna 172, said something about "luck", closed the door and walked away!
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This past November 17th, I soloed a 152 for my first time, just a few months after my 16th birthday. Maybe one day I'll be the captain of a Delta flight?
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Congratulations (belatedly) on your "FIRST solo".
I left out one small point about that "fateful day" over 40 years ago. It was pretty late in the day and being in the dead of winter (most of Purdue is in the "dead of winter" from October to April!) it got dark pretty quick.
Of I went...and when I landed, lo' and behold! it was DARK!
Don't know all the rules now, but back then you were NOT supposed to do a first solo, or any part of it, at night!
When I got back in for a debrief, Jean-Paul, along with some high muckety-muck from the School of Aviation Technology was there. They gave me my "first" logbook, which at the time was a tradition there. You "logged" your first solo and then they both signed it. (Still have it tucked away somewhere)
Any how, as I was filling it in, I (being a newly minted "PILOT!") asked,
"Should I log one of these three landings as a night landing?"
The silence was as they say, "DEAFENING!"
Hey! How was I to know you're not supposed to first solo at night? I was just a "newbie"! That's what instructors are for, right?
FWIW: I’m still trying to track down Jean-Paul. I checked the FAA database an he’s still in it. ATP with 767 type and all. They’ve purged the database of addresses due to privacy concerns. I wrote them, explained who I was, and why I’d like to make contact with Jean-Paul, but so far haven’t heard back from them.
I hope someday I'll get on an airplane and see some of the names of pilots I've met on this website on a little tag by the cockpit door! Good luck in your future career. It is truly a great profession!
