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My name is Tom Thorne, I am a 16 year old
PPL student. I live in South Canterbury New Zealand. My Passion for aviation
started at the age of 11 when I was given a small remote control toy helicopter
for my birthday. My hobby expanded rapidly and I became a radio control
aeroplane enthusiast. Three years later I took my first trial flight at South
Canterbury Aero club in ZK-PAD, a Piper Tomahawk. That 30 minute flight had me
hooked. It was the first time in my life when I knew where my future was going
to be headed. However at 14 I was too young to start training. The wait would
be too great before I could legally solo at the age of 16. My family and I
decided I would wait until my 15th birthday before I would start training at
the snail's pace of 1 lesson per month. That way I could be ready to solo soon
after my 16th birthday.
Me and my instructor after my first solo flight
As 10th December (my B-day) approached, I
began to set my sights on soloing on the day of my birthday. It became a goal
of mine and my instructor was a fantastic aid in getting the timing right! My
medical was finalized 2 days before my 16th.
On the day itself I woke to a very low
cloud base. Fortunately by 12pm it had lifted to 1000 ft AGL. I had to carry
out my circuit at 800 ft AGL. A bit lower than the usual 1000 but after four
circuits with my instructor, he asked how I felt about the conditions and my
flying and then stepped out. So with a total time of 15.2 hours I proceeded on
my own. Rolling down the runway, the feeling of being dependent on skills
crafted over the past year and being totally in control is indescribable. I did
one circuit and a reasonably nice landing. After I stepped out of the plane the
feeling of elation was not immediate but gradually increased over the following
hours. I remember how thrilling it was to log my flight for the first time as
pilot in command.
To read more of Tom's "Share Your Story" article, click below. (If you're already on the full article, ignore this)
I was photographed and interviewed for the
paper afterwards, It was a great surprise to find myself on the front page the
following morning. I was also fortunate enough to be interviewed on Port FM (a
local radio station) on the same day.
From the day of my trial flight I have been
set on a career in aviation and in the last year I have been very keen on the
prospect of flying for airlines. In New Zealand we have five aviation academies
that have courses set up by Air New Zealand. This is called a diploma in
aviation, it totally prepares you for work with Air New Zealand. Of course
airlines have a minimum hour requirement so some work in the field of general
aviation will be required. I am prepared and willing to put in as much work as
is required. But all flying experience is valuable and the journey is half the
fun. For now I am going to continue flying, and now that I have soloed I can
fly weekly with the plan of gaining my PPL in a year or two.
A few days ago I had the opportunity to
spend two days sitting in the jump seat of an ATR 72-600. The captain was a
family friend and he knew about my interest. He offered to take me on along. It
was a fantastic experience that offered huge insight into what day to day life
is like for an airline pilot. I met many great people and was even able to talk
to one of the Air New Zealand recruiters to briefly discuss air schools of
choice, and course options, etc. The flights in the plane were fascinating. Observing
the state of the aircraft systems was a truly inspiring experience. I am more
enthusiastic than ever and can't wait to finish my PPL and start my commercial
training.
Thanks so much Tom for writing in and sharing your story. It's great to connect with a long-time reader of the blog! I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your training in New Zealand. Make sure to write back in about your progress down the road, I'm sure you'll do great!
Swayne Martin
Martins Aviation / From Private to Professional Pilot
Twitter: @MartinsAviation
Good luck with your flying Tom! I'm sure you will be the youngest airline pilot captain! Keep up!
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