2017 FMA Solo Recipient from TN.
Today, I passed the oral exam and checkride! I can’t thank the FMA, FMASolo sponsors, Murfreesboro Aviation, and CFI Tanner Quigley enough for helping me achieve this goal. It has been a great experience.
Tomorrow, I leave for band camp at the Univ. of Tennessee! I can’t wait to march with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band.
Best of luck to the FMASolo 2018 recipients. Keep flying and playing.
Again, thank you all.
Isaac
As a quick update, I’ve completed all my private pilot requirements and I passed the written knowledge test today! My checkride is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:00am. Stay tuned!
Thanks again to FMA and it’s sponsors for kickstarting this great opportunity!
FMASolo 2018 recipients, keep it up and good luck!
I thought I would take a minute to let everyone know how my flight training has progressed since soloing in March. In addition to the flight training provided by the FMA and generous FMASolo sponsors, Murfreesboro Aviation donated an additional 10 hours of training after solo to help me reach my goal of earning my private pilot license.
I am now preparing for my first solo cross country flight from Murfreesboro, TN (MBT) to Fayetteville, TN (FYM). After ground school and preparing the flight plan, I made a dual instruction cross-country flight with my instructor, Tanner Quigley, last week. Here is a picture from the flight! On July 2, I’ll make my first round-trip local solo flight from MBT to Shelbyville (SYI).
You may notice that in this picture I’m wearing a Bose A20 Aviation Headset. It is AWESOME! I am honored to have been selected for the FMA President’s Award. Thanks to John Zapp and the FMA for selecting me and for the headset and thanks again to Bose for its sponsorship of the FMASolo Scholarship Program. The FMA has made my goal of learning to fly achievable.
On to music . . . next week I will be participating in the Nashville Jazz Workshop Jazz Camp, which ends on Friday with a public performance. If any FMA members will be in Nashville for Summer NAMM and want to hear some very talented jazz students play, let me know and I can send details. Otherwise, I hope to see FMA members at Summer NAMM.
Isaac
Congratulations to the 2018 FMA Solo Finalists:
I wish you all the best and hope you have the opportunity to experience all that the FMA has to offer. Good luck!
Isaac
This week couldn’t get any better. I soloed on Sunday, then today I auditioned for and made it into the Univ. of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band!
John, I need a new FMA Shirt. 🙂 I soloed this morning! We started the morning with two take-offs and landings, then my instructor, Tanner Quigley, said he thought he saw a nail on the runway that he needed to pick up and exited the plane. LOL! It was an exhilarating experience and I can’t wait to fly again next weekend. Once again, I can’t thank the FMA, the FMASolo sponsors, Tanner Quigley and Murfreesboro Aviation enough for this opportunity! 
I was finally able to fly this morning after several cancellations due to bad weather. Today was perfect. I worked on take-offs and landings, completing 8 before we called it a day. Had we not experienced problems with the left brake, I would have soloed this morning! But, safety first. I have now logged 10.4 hours in the Cessna 152, and 13.9 in all. If the good weather holds out, my instructor, Tanner Quigley at Murfreesboro Aviation said he believes the plane and I will be ready to solo next weekend. Stay tuned! I’m scheduled to fly on Saturday and Sunday morning. Below are photos from this morning.
Switching gears to music, I had a great time playing bari sax at the Tennessee Wind Band Conference last weekend at Middle Tennessee State University (photos below). Our guest director, Brett Baker from Manchester, England, was fantastic. I’ve really enjoyed participating in the Conference the last 4 years. Next weekend, I’ll be playing tenor sax in the Rutherford County Honor Band, then on March 3, I’ll be auditioning for a spot on the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Marching Band. Wish me luck!
Finally, congratulations to the 2018 FMA Solo Nominees! I cannot begin to describe what an honor it has been to be a 2017 FMA Solo recipient. I have enjoyed every hour of flight instruction and have been able to pursue a goal that might not otherwise have been attainable without the encouragement and support of the FMA, John Zapp, Gary Piper, and all of the FMA Solo sponsors: Aviators Hotline, Bose Aviation, Sporty’s Pilot Shop, MYGOFLIGHT, Gleim Aviation, Trade-A-Plane, 121five.com, Banjo Ben Clark! Thank you all and best of luck to the 2018 Nominees as you pursue your musical and aviation goals!
Isaac
Bad weather and tight schedules have delayed my ability to fly, but I’ll be back in the air next week and expect to solo soon.
In the meantime, I’ve returned to school and am enjoying playing in jazz and concert band with my high school, and concert band at Middle Tennessee State University. This weekend I will participate in the MTSU Wind Band Conference and at the end of this month, I’ll play with the Rutherford County Honor Band. Finally, on March 3, I will be auditioning for a spot in the Univ. of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band.
Wish me luck!
Friday and Monday were ground school days with Tanner Quigley at Murfreesboro Aviation. We worked on nautical to statute mile conversions; discussed different classes of airspace; how to read and understand charts; and calculating wind correction angle, magnetic deviation, true airspeed and calculated airspeed.
On Monday afternoon, I had the opportunity to fly with a friend, Wayne Harris, in his 1970 Piper Cherokee. He picked me up at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI) and he let me take the controls for the flight. We flew over Woods Reservoir where we keep our sail boats and sail. Flying the Piper was quite a bit different than flying the Cessna 152. It had lot more room and was smoother in the air. It was fun to fly. I really appreciate Wayne taking me up.
Yesterday was windy so my instructor, Tanner Quigley at Murfreesboro Aviation, explained the challenges associated with crosswinds on takeoffs and landings and calculating wind speeds to determine whether or not it is safe to fly. In the air, we performed 2 no-flap landings and slow flight to 9 kts.
I now have 9.3 hours in the C-152, and 12.3 total hours total when including DA40 time from MTSU’s aviation camp earlier this year. I will be ready to solo soon.
I’m scheduled for ground school on Friday and Monday, then will fly again on Thursday. Tanner said next flight, we will work on instrument flying 🙂:
