HELLO YOUNG AVIATORS!
Written by Mitchell Lauer
I’ d like to touch on the growth of flight training— from what’ s changed in the training of pilots in the past— to the training you can expect in the future.
I’ m currently in training myself, and am proud to announce that I just completed my first solo flight!
My experience really puts into perspective how flight training now, is far from what it used to be. For instance, the photo on the left illustrates a tradition that has been established for many years, though the actual meaning has changed drastically. Every flight school has a different tradition, with the most common one dating back over 100 years! It’ s the tradition of an instructor cutting the student ' s shirt after their first solo flight.
Back when flight training was just starting, the instructor and students couldn ' t communicate with each other. So when the instructor needed to get a student ' s attention, they would simply tug on the back of the student ' s shirt. After a first solo flight, an instructor would cut off a piece of the student’ s shirt, signifying that the instructor no longer needed to get the student’ s attention to assist them in flying.
LEFT: HOLDING A PIECE OF THE MOON AND MARS( A QUARTER-SIZED PIECE CAN BE WORTH $ 400 +). RIGHT: WITH THE CHIEF PILOT OF LIFEFLIGHT NETWORK ' S PILATUS PC-12, WHO HELPS SAVE LIVES BY RUSHING PATIENTS ACROSS VAST DISTANCES. TWO EXAMPLES OF MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS LEADING TO NOBLE CAREER PATHS.
FALL 2026— ISSUE NO. 16 | 29