Congratulations to Piper Hechtl on her first solo! Piper, EAA 1166354, soloed a Cessna 152 on May 5 at Tracy Municipal Airport in Tracy, California. Piper began her flight training at the University of North Dakota, where she is a student, before returning home due to the pandemic.
Despite the change in scenery and extenuating circumstances, Piper was resolute in wanting to continue her training, and said she loved the feeling of her first solo.
“I wasn’t that nervous to fly by myself,” Piper said. “It was probably the greatest feeling in the world. It felt like all of my hard work was finally paying off and that I’m getting closer to my dream.”
Piper’s mom and dad, Ramona and JJ, plus her CFI, Kevin Fisher, and his daughter, Kendra, all cheered her on during her solo. Piper volunteers annually at AirVenture’s Boeing Plaza during the summer, and plans to continue her flight training at UND when she returns to campus.
Have you reached a milestone recently? Passed a checkride, given your first or hundredth Young Eagles flight, flown your homebuilt for the first time? Tell us about it at EAA.org/submissions.