Category: FMA Solo 2024

After the Memorial Day holiday, my primary CFI Nick took a week-long family vacation this week, so I asked Nick to recommend a CFI while he was away for vacation, and he recommended flight instructor Zack to work with me this week.

This past week the weather was pretty good; we were able to schedule 3 flights in close proximity and I got to try out the Cessna 172 R and S:

Tuesday, May 27th, even with some drizzling rain in the morning after my pre-flight safety check, we decided to take off. Despite the rain, the visibility was pretty decent and I was able to practice slow flight, power on and off stalls, taxiing, descending and taking off.

Thursday, May 29th, there seemed to be scattered cloud coverage ~2500AGL, but we quickly made it above to reinforce the same skills I learned the previous day.

Friday, May 30th, I practiced the same skills as the previous two days, but also began steep turns and ground reference maneuvers. Straight and level flight has become much easier at this point, and it has become more natural for me to look outside the plane to hold the attitude rather than staring at the Primary Flight Display and other instruments in the cockpit.

This is my first time working with CFI Zack and we had some great flights!

After two more cancelled flight lessons due to bad weather, I finally was able to take my second flight lesson with my CFI Nick this past Sunday afternoon (May 25th) at 4:00pm.

I spent 30 minutes this time on the preflight inspection for routine flight safety having been more familiar with the list and its procedures; I also got more comfortable with taxiing on the runway and taking off with less assistance. When the plane was in the air, I learned some new flight skills: slow flight, sharp turns, and an introduction to stalls, in addition to the regular level flight, turns, climbs, and descents.

I was very happy to complete my second flight and I had a lot of fun again! I look forward to flying more often as the upcoming weather looks favorable.

After several scheduled flight cancellations due to weather (strong winds and rain) and aircraft maintenance, I was finally able to complete my first flight lesson on the morning of Saturday, May 17th.

I got up at 7am and received a text from my CFI Nick (Aero Elite) that Leesburg Airport had a strong crosswind and we might have to cancel again. My father took me to the airport, and with me I brought the very nice pilot bag donated by Sporty’s. Meeting Nick at the airport lounge, I felt pretty lucky when he told me the wind slowed down a lot by the time I got there (albeit a small crosswind), and I was able to take my first flight that morning.

My first lesson involved a lot of basic yet crucial work: I spent more than 40 minutes on the preflight inspection for routine flight safety. Then I practiced some taxiing in a straight line as we made our way to the runway, taking off with a lot of assistance. When the plane was in the air, I learned straight and level flight, turns, climbs, and descents with assistance from my CFI.

I was very excited to complete my first flight and I had a lot of fun. At the end of my lesson we took a picture in front of the airplane—the Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, and I look forward to flying again this week if the weather decides to play nice again.

On March 31st, I participated in “Purdue’s for Me” campus visit event at Purdue University West Lafayette campus.

My first event on my campus visit schedule was the “ROTC Program Overview” meeting, hosted by the ROTC programs (Air Force, Navy and Army) at Purdue University. This was on the top priority list to learn more about AFROTC.

After attending a presentation about Purdue Polytechnic Institute, I walked to the Purdue Armory to meet with USAF Major Rose to get in-depth knowledge about the USAF ROTC program at Purdue University. Before the campus visit, my parent and I both emailed and made phone calls to Purdue AFROTC program to arrange this special meeting during my visit because the quality of their AFROTC program was a major factor for me to make my college decision. I had a great meeting with Major Rose for almost an hour, and I learned a lot more about the AFROTC program at Purdue.

Before heading to back to Virginia, I knew I had to make a special stop at Purdue’s Elliott Hall of Music. Last month I got an email invitation from Purdue’s Leath Scholarship program to submit an application and a video audition link to apply for the Purdue’s Orchestra program. Wish me luck!

On April 1st, after driving back from my college visit with Purdue University, I met with my flight instructor Nick from Aero Elite Flight Training at Leesburg Executive Airport (Virginia). We went over the training plan and schedule booking, and then we went out to check out the airplane. I was very excited about my upcoming flight lessons with Nick.

I took my flight ground school training online with Sporty’s (that came with the scholarship) and completed the video portions, so I am now studying before I take the FAA knowledge test. Thank you for your support, Sporty’s!

To prepare for the annual district orchestra assessments, Langley High School’s Philharmonic Orchestra held a pre-assessment concert at Langley High School on March 4th, 2025. I currently lead the second violin section for the Philharmonic Orchestra.

On March 15th, I went to Herndon High School to participate in the district assessment for Langley’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and we earned the superior rating once again, helping Langley Philharmonic Orchestra retain its Blue Ribbon status for the 17th straight year. Our repertoire includes Grieg’s Holberg Suite movements 1, 3, 4, and 5, Dohnanyi’s Serenade movements 1, 2, and 5, as well as selections from Cinema Paradiso.