Aftermath

So it’s the day after and I’ve had time to think about the events of yesterday. It took a long time for things to sink in. I’d been home about 30 minutes before I started shaking, the enormity of it finally hit home.

I’ve had lots of congratulation messages from friends and coworkers (who probably realise that they are about to get a blow by blow account on Monday)

The guys down at the flying school did their very best to recognise the massive achievement of your first solo, anyone who was there made sure to shake my hand and congratulate me. I may even forgive them for the bucket of water (it was cold!!!!) as it is a time honoured ritual and beats being dunked in Lake Ontario.

Bob said some really nice things, which made me blush a little bit. and had the good grace not to mention my little taxiing snafu ( I may get round to blogging about that if the excruciating embarrassment ever wears off!). Sometimes I’m still not sure he’s describing the same person. He had another student straight after me, so he had to get on with his next flight but he called me a couple of hours later. Again with some really positive feedback and a whole list of “where we go from here” items that once more I don’t think really sank in.

I can’t even imagine what it must be like for an instructor to send a student on their first solo. When dealing with someone like me who needs a very careful combination of hand holding and throwing under the proverbial bus. That’s a very fine line to tread; the consequences of getting it wrong are tremendous. Still I’m alive, the plane is intact and Bob and I are still speaking to each other so all is well!