I was on the return leg of a two-day trip to Texas last month…

Here at Sporty’s Academy, we love to celebrate the achievements of our students. One of our biggest celebrations comes when a student successfully completes his or her first solo. We really think that this is a big deal and we want the student to understand this as well! It has been many years since my first solo in an airplane. In fact, I’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of that event in a couple of years. Even with the intervening years, I can still remember my takeoff from Runway 29 at the Flagler County Airport in Florida. I don’t really remember the landing but I remember the takeoff. I looked out the side window after liftoff, watched the left main spin to a stop, and thought to myself, “Well, now you have to land it!”

You may know Sean D. Tucker as one of the best air show pilots in the business, but did you also know that he is the current Young Eagles Chairman? Sean has held this title since AirVenture 2013 when he took over from Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles. Only a few people have held this title over the years and Sean is as hard working as they come.