Solo = One

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Today, after three weeks of weather delays, Patrick took to the skies...SOLO.  While he has been flying with his instructor every week (usually twice per week, despite the weather) when flight students solo for the first time the weather must be pristine; calm winds, visibility greater than 5 miles, and a "ceiling" (cloud cover) no lower than 3,500 feet.  While Vermont decides if it is autumn or winter, pristine weather has been scarce.

The first flight of the day was a test run with his instructor.  Then the instructor leaves the plane and Patrick flies the same sequence on his own.

After a few "touch-and-go" maneuvers it was time for a final landing.  Over the radio, he hears "nice job", then "we're hiring".  A fun ending to a first solo.
In his flight log, Patrick now has a line that shows him as Pilot in Command and the entire line is written in his handwriting for the first time.  In the back of the log are several pages for endorsement.  Patrick now has an endorsement to fly solo for touch-and-go maneuvers.  Congratulations, Patrick.
In observance of a long-standing pilot tradition, Patrick received his shirt with the date of his first solo flight.  Actually, it's only part of the shirt.  In the "old days" (before the days of cockpit communication and side-by-side seating) instructors would sit in the back and the student would sit in the front.  When the instructor wanted the student to turn right he would tug on the back right of the student's shirt.  Similarly, if a left turn was needed the instructor would tug on the left side of the shirt.  When a student goes up for his first solo flight he no longer has an instructor calling the shots so a shirt available for pulling is no longer necessary.  So, the flight instructor cuts the back out of the student's shirt, writes the name of the student, the date, and the runway he flew from.  At the dorms of Vermont Tech, where several of the pilot students live, there are several of these shirt-back-banners pinned up on the walls.  Now Patrick has one that he can pin-up in his room.

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