Congratulations to EAA staffer Hal Bryan, EAA 638979, for completing his first Pilots N Paws rescue flight on November 12 with his wife, Muffy. Hal flew from Oshkosh to Jasper County, Indiana, to pick up two 3-year-old hounds that were en route from an overcrowded shelter in Kentucky. “Going into it I was very much caught up in the details,” he said. “Planning a cross-country flight through and around some complex and busy airspace, flying to an unfamiliar airport, figuring out how the dog crates would fit. It wasn’t really until we were back in Oshkosh and handed them off that I stopped and really felt the emotional impact of it.” Hal said the dogs were a little skittish at first, but warmed up quickly and were quiet and well-behaved while in the air. He said the flight was a unique and rewarding experience and hopes to do it again. “This was the first time I had ever flown specifically to save lives. This was the most gratifying flight I’ve ever had.”
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagle flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at editorial@eaa.org.