My First Solo Flight

By John Humphreys

My name is John Robert Farrell Humphreys. I developed a great interest in flying on a discovery flight with the Young Eagles when I was 13. It was at KCLW Clearwater Air Park in a PA-28 tail number N9749J with the pilot Christopher Noth on October 16, 2021.

My aspirations are to attend the US Naval Academy or the US Merchant Marine Academy and fly as a Naval Aviator in the F/A-18E, flying off aircraft carriers. In my time in service, I hope to get the chance to go to TOP GUN, be a Blue Angel, and fly as a Test Pilot all in the US Navy. I plan to use this to meet the requirements to be an astronaut and be the first man on Mars.

Some of the coolest people in aviation that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting are Lt. Amanda “Stalin” Lee, who is now the first female F/A-18 pilot for the Blue Angels; Lt. Ryan “Peaches” Garcia a Rhino Demo Team pilot, PS1 Elizabeth Glassmen, a pay and personnel subject matter expert for the Blue Angels, and LSC Justin Delacruz, a Chief for the Blue Angels. I spoke with them and asked all the questions I could imagine as well as getting to touch an F/A-18.

I began to join multiple programs including Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, 4-H, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps. The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps had an opportunity to do some recruiting and volunteering at MacDill AirFest. It was there when many aviation projects started to roll in the right direction for me, like finding out about the Civil Air Patrol. Most importantly, I ran into LCDR Ricardo Foster, USN (ret.) President/CEO Infinity Aero Club. I had met him once 4 years before. Back then, he told me he had a plane and said one day he would take me up in it. He informed me that he had started an aero club and I said “Where can I sign up?! I joined at the age of 13. I learned about the different branches of aviation, gliders, helicopters, gyro-planes, gyrocopters, and jets. I started to take ground school, and began flying with Mr. Phil Mednick.

I was also 13 when I heard from a girl in Sea Cadets who soloed in a glider at 14. Her name, Ava Rian Shelly. When I heard from her I knew that was what I wanted to do. Mr. Ricardo introduced me to an instructor by the name of Mr. Rand Vollmer CFIG, LSRM, COL USAR (Ret.).

I started to fly with Mr. Vollmer. He told me it was possible I could meet my goal of soloing while I was 14 if I worked hard and didn’t give up. Let me tell you, I did. I worked at chair-flying at home, studying ground-school to pass the pre-solo test, and flying as much as I could to solo before my birthday. I passed the pre-solo test, perfected my landings, radio calls, and got my student pilot certificate to solo. I was all set to solo, but I had no idea it would be on the day it was. I hadn’t been flying for almost two weeks, due to the weather. I wasn’t expecting to solo after that gap, but that’s when I realized you just have to rely on your training.

I’ll never forget the day, March 22, 2023, when I had my first solo. I woke up, got dressed and put on my Chuck Yeager “The Right Stuff” shirt. I checked my phone for weather, wind, and other such conditions. They were perfect, no clouds, virtually no wind, and a nice temperature. I was extremely happy and ready to get in the air. Hurriedly, I ate my breakfast, put my shoes on and talked with my dad and sister. My dad said “I am going to stay home with your sister. Son, I would love to come, but if I do, something will happen and you won’t solo. If I don’t come everything will be perfect, and you’ll solo.” He was referring to the last 3 times I had tried to solo. Each time he was there with my sister and some condition was wrong and I could not fly solo. I told him I understood and I was looking forward to seeing him and my sister later that day. I grabbed my logbook and got in the car with my Mom, we were on our way to Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

Arriving at KZPH, I saw my instructors’ car, and the plane, a Pipistrel Virus, tail number N221AV in front of the FBO. I texted my instructor, Mr. Rand Vollmer, to let him know I was here. We met up and went inside the FBO to have a short briefing. He told me that we would be using runway 05, standard left traffic. We went outside to the plane, and I did the preflight. Walking slowly around the aircraft checking and double-checking each part of the plane. Everything was good to go. It was time to get in and start the plane. Hopping into the left seat, I strapped myself to the aircraft and put my headset on, my instructor doing the same on the right seat. I started to flip the switches to on, master, and avionics. I pressed the button for AWOS, all was good. Radio was good, time to start the engine and go. I opened my door, looked around for people, and shouted, “Clear” and turned the switch. She was ready to move. I tested the brakes and was rolling on the taxiway, towards runway 05.

I rolled to the hold short line and stopped. The engine oil temp was warmed up enough. I checked the controls, all free and correct. Finally, I set the flaps, and checked with my instructor to make sure he was ready to go and made my call to depart runway 05, staying in the pattern. I released the brakes, throttled up, and rolled onto the runway line. Without delay, I put it into full throttle and kept myself on the line, and rotated up. We were flying, and at the time, it’s what I thought was just another day of training. I announced 300 feet AGL and made my turn into the left crosswind. Then, I made the call that I was on left crosswind, I set my flaps to neutral, and continued flying until I was in line with my personal landmark for the downwind leg, a large radio tower. I turned downwind and made my calls.

Eventually I was abeam the numbers, which means I was parallel to the runway numbers. I was already at my pattern altitude of 1,100 feet MSL, I pulled the throttle fully to idle and checked the air-brakes. The radio tower is a very helpful landmark, as it doubles as a mark for when to turn downwind, and when to turn base as well. I was over the tower when I turned left onto my base leg, made my calls, and set my flaps for landing. I flew past some buildings and turned onto the final leg, making my final call, that I would be doing a touch and go. Using my feet on the pedals, and slight corrections on the stick, I kept myself lined up with the runway. I used the air-brake to bring myself down into the proper glide-path. Controlling my speed with my pitch, and my altitude with the air-brake, I came down towards the runway, and gradually leveled out, letting the ground effect keep me flying just barely above the ground. I flew a little longer down the runway before the wings stalled, and I gently touched down. I put my nose-wheel on the pavement, put the air-brake up, and throttled up all the way, barreling down the runway, I took off again, flying high, with the comfort of my instructor next to me.

I kept flying like this, another two traffic patterns, under the illusion that it was just another training day. I’ll never forget this moment, I was on my 3rd pattern, base leg, turning final when my instructor turned to me and said, “I want you to land, and then you’ll taxi back to the FBO, where I’ll run and get a small radio, in case you have any questions or if I need to tell you anything on your solo.” I couldn’t believe it, did he say that I’m going to solo?! I couldn’t keep myself from grinning from ear-to-ear as I landed, put in full air-brake, and set the nose down. I turned off the runway, and announced that I was clear of runway 05. I taxied back to the FBO, turned around and let my instructor out. At that point in time, I didn’t realize it, but my mind had gone back into fundamental mode relying on my training. My brain hadn’t really registered the fact that it was only me in the plane. I taxied behind another plane, and watched as he ran up his engine, checked his controls and finally made his call that he was departing. I rolled to the hold short line, set my flaps, checked my instruments, and all was in the green. I watched the plane turn left onto his crosswind leg. When I made my call that I was departing, I got the response over the radio from my instructor, “1AV, you are cleared for take-off.” With those few words, I throttled up, and whispered to myself “without delay”. I pushed it into full throttle and was surprised at how quickly I was up in the air, without another person in the plane. I quickly rose to 300 feet and turned to the left. On that turn, I realized while looking at the ground, it was just me, I had never felt so free, I wasn’t scared or nervous. No, I was excited beyond belief, this was the first big step towards my dream of flying as a profession.

Making my calls, I set my flaps back to neutral. When I was in line with the tower, I turned onto my downwind leg and stayed true to my training. I was abeam the numbers when I pulled back to idle, and tested my air-brakes. All was good, and I turned onto base when I was over the tower. Up until then, everything had been perfect, weather, wind, traffic, but then I started to hear a few planes call in that they were landing, turning on final, intersecting on final, etc. I am a student pilot, on my first solo and right before I landed I was whisked into an interesting traffic dilemma. Do I turn back and try to extend my downwind, should I fly normally and hope I don’t ruin someone’s approach, what should I do? That’s when my instructor said to do a 360 degree turn on my base leg. I understood what he was saying, and I knew I had to do a turn around a point in order to get back to the point on my base where I could turn safely into my final approach and land. I had never actually done a turn around a point, but remembering my ground-school training I knew how to do it on paper. It was time to put all that knowledge into action. I turned, and added more bank when I needed to, and less when the time came. Eventually, I ended up right back at the point I had started the turn. I put my flaps in, turned onto final, and made the last call I would make on my first solo flight in the air. I added air-brake, got into the glide-path and again, I gradually leveled out and touched down softly. I put in full air-brake immediately, slowed down to turn off the runway, and made the call that I was clear. My instructor and my mom were waiting for me on the taxiway.

My mom said she was extremely proud of me, my instructor had a little surprise for me. I wasn’t finished yet, he said I get to do another two patterns. I was extremely happy, three flights as the Pilot In Command, or PIC on my first day! I taxied back to the runway, and repeated the pattern two more times. Finally, I taxied back to the FBO, shut the plane down and got out. I couldn’t keep myself from smiling and laughing as I thought back to what my dad said that morning. I was ecstatic and called him, he was extremely happy and proud, of course saying he told me so. I went with my instructor to do some post solo ceremonies. He cut my Chuck Yeager shirt, and wrote “John Humphreys, 1st SOLO, 3-22-2023, Pipistrel Virus SW N221AV, CFIG Rand Vollmer”. This was it, I had accomplished my goal of soloing at 14. I am extremely lucky and blessed with amazing instructors, loving parents, and an amazing flight club.

Thank you to Mr. Rand Vollmer, Mr. Phil Mednick, Mr. Larry Mednick, my mom, my dad, my sister, and Mr. Ricardo Foster, the founder of Infinity Aero Club Tampa, as well as everyone else who supported me and told me I can reach my goals.