The red Toyota Camry raced over to us rather quickly from the long row of hangars. I wondered
who it was and what the apparent excitement was about. My pilot friend, Jim, and I were
standing in the shade of the FBO, viewing the I-just- passed-my- Instrument-checkride! pictures he had just taken of me with the Piper Cherokee 180.
The car pulled up right next to us and out jumped Ira, a fellow pilot acquaintance, who excitedly
exclaimed, "I have someone who wants to meet you!" I had no idea what he was talking about, or if it was Jim or me that he was talking to. I really didn't expect it would be me. Then, a man and his darling 9-year- old twin girls clambered out of the car, all with ear to ear smiles, and came to meet …me?! Ira excitedly said, “I just took them on their first Young Eagles flight and I wanted the girls to meet a female pilot! This is Claire and Rachel.”
Wow, what an honor it was that they wanted to meet me!! These girls and their father
obviously loved the flight they had just experienced. Ira had flown them over their house and
their elementary school. Engaging in conversation with them, I said, “Everything looks so tiny
from up there, doesn’t it!?” I asked them if they got pictures of their school from the air, and if
they planned to show the pictures to their friends, which they did. To relate to them a little more, I told them that I have a young daughter who is just a couple years older than them and that I was able to take her up for one flight, before we moved away to Korea. I told them how lucky they are to be learning about flying airplanes at a young age, which I had not, and encouraged them to become pilots too, if they want to be.
What a great day this was!! I had just passed my Instrument checkride after 5 weeks of intense
flight training, which I had traveled back from Korea to do, and now I had the opportunity to be
a role model for two young girls who are excited about flying, and to encourage them to become pilots too. What an honor! Now, three weeks after checkride day, my most prominent and joyous memory of that day is meeting Claire and Rachel. I hope they remember it for years to come as I know I will.
Artwork: "Kansas to Korea" by Emily's Daughter, Marin, Age 12.