Tom's Solo Flight

October 18, 1997

On October 18, 1997 after two perfect landing and flying without instrument reference, the instruments are on board and in working condition but the instructor has them off for the purpose of teaching me to get the feel of the balloon, we land north of Rio Rancho and my instructor asks me to change out the aux tank. After a bit of fumbling with the tank harness it is secure. My instructor asks if all is well. I say yes and he says, "Go Fly for awhile". I didn't realize the basket was so big. No one there but me and the radio What a Thrill, I am flying alone. Response time is quicker when going up but it doesn't want to go down. Took a few minutes to get the feel but I flew for 20 minutes and did a perfect landing two miles away. Fantastic....

Needless to say my crew, my dear wife included dumped champagne and silly string all over me. The ice chest dumping was the final act of kindness. Things where cold where they should not have been cold. Getting the champagne bottle out of my shorts was a relief. Many thanks to my instructor and crew for helping me learn to fly. Hopefully by Christmas I will be a pilot thus fulfilling a forty-year dream to be a pilot.