EAA Chapter 677 Ray Scholarship recipient Joshua Owsley, EAA 1283936, soloed in a Piper PA-28-140 on May 22 at Auburn University Airport in Alabama.
Upon landing, Josh was joined by his mother, father, two friends, and his brother Jake Owsley, EAA 1283965, also an EAA Chapter 677 Ray Scholarship recipient, who earned his private pilot certificate on July 10, 2020.
Josh’s inspiration to become a pilot came from his family as he grew up surrounded by aviation, with a grandfather, uncle, father, and brother who all hold a pilot certificate.
Like his brother Jake, Josh has been taking lessons with his CFI father, Kevin Owsley.
The day of the solo came as a welcomed surprise to Josh, as his dad jumped out of the plane and told him he was ready.
“When he got out of the plane, I was like ‘Dang, it’s just me and I have never done this before,’, I was kind of nervous, but I think I was more excited than anything,” Josh said.
Luckily for Josh, the weather was nearly perfect.
“Once I took off, all of the nerves went away and it was just exciting and fun,” Josh said. “The weather was great; I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I did it around 6:30 p.m. and the wind was nice and light.”
Josh, currently 17 and going into his senior year of high school, said he hopes to one day attend an aviation university and become an airline pilot.
Congratulations Josh, the sky’s the limit!