Sixteen-year-old Hobie Lippold, EAA Chapter 706’s Ray Aviation Scholar, completed his solo on his 16th birthday on August 31, 2019, and passed his written test on May 31, 2020.
Hobie recalls being interested in aviation since the age of 4, when he saw his first airplane that a family friend owned.
Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, Hobie remembers visiting a local air museum and being fascinated with the simulators they had. “There was one that kind of showed how the controls of an airplane worked, and that was super cool,” he said.
The older Hobie got, the more he immersed himself into discovering new facets of aviation. “I got into remote control, RC flying, and kind of just went from there,” Hobie said. “Then I started making contacts with pilots, and then they started mentoring me, and I started to learn how to fly in real airplanes.”
When Hobie turned 13, he joined his local EAA chapter, 706, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
“That’s when I met a whole lot of pilots, and I was really able to make a lot of contacts through that,” he said. “I heard a lot of good things about Richard Rodencal, so I decided to go with him because he’s had a good reputation around here, and I definitely agree with that; he is a good CFI. And then, Bill Menzel (EAA Chapter 706 scholarship coordinator), he’s been like a mentor for me; he flies a Piper Comanche 250, and he’s taught me a lot of what I know in that airplane.”
With the help of Richard and Bill, Hobie was ready to attempt his first solo flight. Leading up to the solo date, the weather forecast wasn’t looking too good, as rain was predicted to come in. Luckily, when the day finally came, the conditions were perfect, and Hobie was able to fly without a hitch.
“There was some really high clouds and winds that was like three knots,” Hobie said. “So, the wind conditions were just, I couldn’t have asked for a better day weather-wise. So, I fired up the airplane, taxied out, and I looked over to my right where the terminal building is, and there was like 40 people there.”
Little did Hobie know, his dad had been in contact with his CFI, and when he heard there was a possibility of his son soloing that day, he gathered friends and family to help cheer him on and wish him luck.
“I did three takeoffs and landings, and all the landings were pretty good,” Hobie said. “My last one was the best one, and it was right on the center line. Really smooth. It was crazy to taxi back. I taxied back to the ramp where all the people were and shut down, and it was crazy to see everybody in front of me. I got out of the airplane and kind of went around to see everyone. It was several people from our EAA chapter, and from the RC club that’s in town here, and all kinds of friends and family.”
After all the commotion died down, Hobie presented Bill with a framed photo of the two of them as a thank-you present.
“He’s been instrumental in getting me into aviation, and him and I have flown so much together,” Hobie said. “I gave him a picture of him and I standing outside of the Comanche. I took it up on my first solo, and even though he wasn’t physically in the airplane with me, I took him up on my first solo, so it was like he was there.”
As it turned out, Hobie wasn’t the only one with a surprise up his sleeve. Bill was able to present Hobie with a new headset just in time for his night dual cross-country lesson.
“Lightspeed is really cool and they send out a Zulu 3 to any Ray scholar that has soloed and completed their written,” Hobie said. “So, I was going to do a night cross-country with my flight instructor, and I got out to the airport and I saw Bill Menzel and Tom Davis, the EAA chapter president. And I just thought that they had to run into each other at the airport. So, I started my preflight and checked out there, and I told them I’m going to need to borrow a headset on this one because my headset hasn’t arrived yet. When I got done with my preflight, he told me he had a couple of magazines to give me, and then he also had the Zulu 3. So, it was really cool how it was a complete surprise. I had no idea!”
Hobie has quite the plan laid out for himself, with some pretty impressive goals! He plans to have his commercial license complete by the time he turns 18, and from there, he wants to attend the University of North Dakota to get his other ratings, and eventually work his way up through the airlines.
“In the airlines, I want to be making money and contacts so I can start in aerobatics focused flying school, and I want to be doing air shows on the side. But one of my main things that I’m passionate about is getting other people into aviation,” Hobie said. “One of the ways that I think I can do that is to start a flying school. I think there’s a big gap in the number of pilots that have never been exposed to inverted flight or any upset flight really. So, my goal is to get as many pilots as I can exposed to that so they can be safer pilots.”
You go, Hobie! Your aviation story has just begun, and we will eagerly stay tuned to see how it turns out!
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