Hollister
– As Matt Miguel stepped onto the runway Saturday morning, he
was barraged with hugs, slaps on the back and cries of,
”
Congratulations!
”
Hollister – As Matt Miguel stepped onto the runway Saturday morning, he was barraged with hugs, slaps on the back and cries of, “Congratulations!”
Finally, someone remembered to add, “Oh, happy birthday, too.”
Miguel was turning 16 that day. Like many 16-year-olds before him, Miguel celebrated his birthday by taking his first spin behind the wheel of a sweet ride.
But he wasn’t burning pavement in a Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro. In fact, he wasn’t on the road at all.
Instead, Miguel was in the air, taking his first solo flight in a Cessna 150. He arrived at the airport at 8:30am and, after doing some exercises and flying with his instructor, Miguel was on his own by 9:15.
Without his flight instructor, Eric Teeters, beside him in the plane, Miguel thought, “Oh shoot, here we go.”
But once he was in the air, he said, things were just fine.
“There were no nerves,” Miguel said. “Just pure excitement.”
Being in the air alone was a big change, he said. For one thing, Teeters wasn’t up there with him to provide instructions and commentary.
“It was quiet up there,” Miguel said. “I had to start talking to myself.”
Even more important than the quiet, Miguel said, was the feeling of “big-time freedom” that came over him. Miguel savored the feeling while it lasted, then after half an hour in the air, he landed.
Keeping with tradition, Teeters wielded a pair of scissors and snipped the back off Miguel’s shirt. Miguel now has a piece of a cloth commemorating the time and place of his first solo flight. He’s also become the proud owner of a student pilot’s license.
That means Miguel can fly on his own now, although he still needs to clear all flights with his instructor. In fact, Miguel and his friend Derek Harris – who got his license a few months ago – are already planning an expedition to Salinas.
Teeters, who teaches in both Salinas and Hollister, estimated that fewer than a dozen teenagers receive student pilot licenses each year at the Hollister Airport.
According to Miguel’s father, Saturday’s solo flight was a long time coming. John Miguel said his son has been interested in planes since he was 2 or 3 years old.
Miguel added that when he was younger, he’d dreamed of becoming a pilot, but he was worried about safety. A few years ago, however, Miguel went up in the air with a friend, and his fate was sealed.
“I thought, ‘This is it,'” Miguel said.
As soon as he was able, Miguel started taking flying lessons. And although his parents have supported his flying both emotionally and financially, many of those lessons were paid for by money Miguel earned doing odd jobs – mowing grass, installing a hot tub and more – for a friend of the family.
He’s logged 17 hours in the air, and what was once a vague dream is solidifying into a concrete career goal.
“Oh yeah, I want to be a pilot,” Miguel said. “Commercial, corporate, whatever I can.”
He added that he’s aware of the airline industry’s financial problems, but he said, “If I’m paid to do it – no matter how much or how little – I’m going to be satisfied.”
Of course, he’s going to need a lot more experience – not to mention a real license – before that dream becomes a reality.
“He’s got 17 hours down,” Teeters said. “That means he’s got about 1,000 to go.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
ah*@fr***********.com
.
