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Yesterday we celebrated my son's sixteenth birthday in the usual ways. Took him down to the DMV where he passed his driver's test and got his license, then to the airport where he made his solo flights in a 1946 Taylorcraft and a Cessna 150. In the pictures is his flight instructor, my Dad.
Very proud of him! Can't decide which makes me more nervous, him driving or flying by himself!
Marc

Is that a Willy's pickup in the top picture?

i have a ton of hours in those two aircraft.......
 

really nice for trainers......but he is gonna want a whole lot bigger and faster in the near future......enjoy...tom

His 1952 Willys. My 4x4 buddy.
Marc

Fortunately for me he shares my preferences for older, simple machines of the type that can be maintained with a crescent wrench and a gas torch!
Marc

I had a friend in high school who had a '48 Willys. The coolest thing ever - I've Jonesed for one every since! No less than 4 shift levers!

Marc,

Many thanks for sharing. Both you, and he, are very lucky. Enjoy these years; they're the "bread and butter" ones.

Best Regards,

Gunny John

PS. WOW! a '46 Taylorcraft!!!!!

Happy birthday to your son!

To pass his licenses, he surely has excellent psycho-motor development. That is a gift, but when they are practiced into skills, that is an achievement.

To get his private pilot's license, he must have good scientific understanding. That is an asset that will pay him over his lifetime.

Did he restore that 1952 Willy's pickup? If so, he must be working to get the resources to buy needed parts, and clearly shows the ability to stick with projects until they are completed. In my family, he'd be working to pay for the insurance as well. That ethic is something that some people never learn. He's ahead of the game.

We know that judgement takes time to develop, and that those centers of the brain haven't completed growing when you're 16. As long as he willingly will talk with you and your father when he has decisions to make, he'll have access to the judgement he needs to succeed.

So... trust but verify. You don't have to worry...

Marc

Oh yeah! I remember my 16th birthday when I solo'ed in a Cherokee 180 that my father owned. I had been flying for a while with my father then with a family friend who was my instructor. I remember taking off, as I had done numerous times before in the past-with someone, and nobody was with me that day I solo'ed! Everything I did was mine and there was nobody to correct if needed be. I did my three "touch and goes" and I was done. The back of my shirt was cut as was the custom back then and put up on the instructor's wall. Is that still a custom now? I haven't flown a plane in so long now nor been in the aviation circles for a while now.

Yep, he lost the back of his shirt! My Dad taught me when I was around 18 in a Piper Warrior. That first takeoff without him the plane sure lifted off quicker than I expected and really floated down the runway farther when landing. My son made three full stops in the Tcraft and two in the Cessna. He prefers the Tcraft but Cessna has a starter and electrical system (important when your 16 to keep your electronics charged!).
Marc

Nice way to celebrate a B'day.
Give him my warmest greeting for his deeds. :cheers:
And, now, when he will get a Luger? :evilgrin:

In California, he can own a pistol at 18, he just can't legally purchase one. Mom and I could give him one (he still has to pass the Handgun Safety Certificate test) and his grandparents could also. There is an intrafamilial form you fill out and send in with a few $.
Actually I told him I think the rest of his Bdays will less exciting than this one. What model Luger makes the best graduation present?
Marc

I would say 1906AE. Not too expensive (among early Lugers), but it's a really nice gun, and it carries U.S. seal on the chamber. Avoid "Black Widow" for gift at all cost, which sounds very unlucky :)

Or, 9mm Interarms Parabellum is a great candidate for gift purpose. It carries Mauser brand name, AE on chamber, and it's very available on market, high quality, and shootable (if want to shoot it in range occasionally).

30 years ago during my first year of law school, I first made my solo also in a Cessna 150 in Perkiomen Valley Pa. He will always remember his first. The 150 is a small two seater. It amazed me how it flys when you solo. My instuctor had to weigh over 200lbs and without that load the plane took off in about half the distance. It was replaced with the larger 152. Lotsa Love to you both~~Eric