Congratulations to Graham Robertson, EAA 1259402, who soloed in his uncle’s Cessna 172 on Tuesday, April 23.
Graham, who is 19, was the first young man to sign up for the first Flying Start event at EAA Chapter 1 in Riverside, California, and is also one of the first the attendees to solo.
“After attending the first Flying Start program and sitting in a general aviation aircraft and actually getting to fly it I was hooked,” Graham said. “I have definitely caught the bug for flying and absolutely love every second of being at an airport whether it’s a pancake breakfast hosted by Chapter 1, flying with my uncle in his 172, or just sitting in the airport café with my family enjoying some lunch.”
Graham said his solo flight came as a surprise to him as he was not planning to solo that day.
“We were flying in the pattern at Corona (KAJO) in a Cessna 172 with a slight crosswind and we were doing touch-and-goes and practicing emergency procedures,” Graham said. “We did one last touch-and-go and then did an extended downwind to show and simulate that the pattern isn’t always going to be perfect, things can change and you need to be able to adapt and handle a situation as it happens. So, after we landed and did a full stop, my CFI looks at me and said, ‘Okay, go fly the pattern and do a full stop and taxi back to the fuel pit then I’ll wave you on to do it again or come back.’ I sat there for a second confused, what did he mean, we just did that? Then he handed me my logbook with my freshly filled out endorsement and it hit me — I’m going to solo today.”
Graham said he was extremely nervous to fly as he was taxiing back to the run up area.
“When I first took off down the runway and rotated, I instantly noticed how different the plane handled with just me in there; it climbed way faster,” Graham said. “As I went and did my first landing I came in a little fast and ate up some runway. On my second landing, I came in better. My touchdown was just a little late and my third landing I can say with confidence was my best landing to date. Once I taxied back, my CFI had texted my mom while I was flying that I was soloing and she rushed over to film my last landing and FaceTime my dad to show him me flying in the pattern.”
EAA Chapter 1 President Jim O’Brien said that seeing Graham’s progress as a young pilot has been incredibly rewarding for him.
“I have come to be a mentor of sorts for Graham, and can say with confidence that he will for sure accomplish what he is setting out to,” Jim said. “I couldn’t be more proud of Graham’s progress and of his solo accomplishment!”
Graham said flying is one of the most amazing things in the world and he wanted to be able to show his friends and family just how amazing that experience really is.
“I’ve always flown in large commercial aircraft as a passenger [on] Southwest and American, etc., but … the difference in sitting behind the control panel and looking outside and feeling how your movements and inputs affect the plane that you’re flying is an experience like no other,” Graham said.
Not only has Graham successfully soloed for the first time, he has also received his part 107 unmanned aircraft system commercial certificate, attained his first class medical, and passed his private pilot written exam.
Graham’s goal is to complete his private pilot training by June, complete his instrument training by September, and his commercial by January 2020. Eventually, he wants to fly 737s for Southwest Airlines.
Congrats and best of luck Graham!
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.