Pilot Joe Laporte with Richmor's Lisa Litts
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Delivering N9526G back to it's owner in Florida
Story
by Joe Laporte
When I was first asked to take N9526G back to it's owner in Florida I was shocked. The thought of me actually piloting an aircraft over that distance and for that amount of time was indescribable. My name is Joseph Laporte and this is my story.
Since I was a child I had dreamed of one day becoming a pilot and flying around the world. At the age of fifteen I enrolled in the Dutchess Community College aviation program with hopes of being a professional pilot. I began flying in 2008 at the age of fifteen and on my 16th birthday soloed for the first time. As I began to receive more training and increase my skills as a pilot my aspirations towards an aeronautical future grew even more than they had been. Through the college I was able to obtain the licenses and ratings that I hold today. On February 24th 2009, 23 days after I had turned 17. I received my Private pilots license from Richmor Aviation at the Dutchess County airport. With the help of my flight instructor, Jeremy Schmid and my ground instructor John Trosie, I was able to obtain my license. From there I obtained my instrument rating and am now in the process of obtaining my commercial License.
Shortly after I had began working towards my commercial certificate I was asked by Lisa Litts who is the manager of the Dutchess Richmor if I would like to deliver 26G back to it's owner in Tampa, FL. At first shock and amazement struck me and I immediately said that would love to. I was informed that I would be making the flight on Monday morning which meant that I would have one day to plan the two day trip. I was informed of this on a Saturday. That Sunday I sat down with my flight instructor to plan the trip of a lifetime. It took us from 12 P.M. to 4 P.M. to plan the trip using four sectional and several markers. When we had finished planning we determined that there would be four legs consisting of a total of twelve hours of flight time. My stops were Salisbury Maryland, I stayed overnight in Fayetteville North Carolina and then took off the next morning and headed to Brunswick Georgia. From there I proceeded to my final destination of Peter O'Knight airport in St Petersburg Florida. At first I wondered if the trip would be lonesome and at times boring, but that was not the case. During the flight I learned much about my own flying ability and realized that there was no better of a learning experience. I was chosen for the trip because I had done the majority of my flight training in N9526G and was accustomed to its design and capabilities. I will admit that it was nice to have an IFR certified GPS onboard for the long legs. During a long trip like this you must utilize all of your available resources if you are to be safe and efficient. It is incredible how you realize during moments of uncertainty how much you use all of that annoying repetition and all of the procedures that your instructor taught you. I realized that ,yeah Jeremy is annoying but he is right and without that constant repetition I would be lost in an emergency. This trip tested both my physical and mental ability to make sound judgments and not get myself in a regrettable position.
On my first solo flight ever I realized I was alone when my instructor closed the door to the airplane and walked inside. This experience was so similar to my first solo in the sense that I was stepping into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory without the guidance and experience of an instructor sitting next to me. During each of my stops I met new and interesting people who each had a story to tell. All the Air traffic controllers were very helpful to me during my flight and any questions that I had were promptly answered by them. It was amazing how much support I received from everyone that was involved in the trip. When I finally landed in St Petersburg I met the owner of the airplane that I had grown close to. The closer I got to my final destination the more I realized that I was going to be handing over the keys to an airplane that I had done almost all of my flight training in. I soon found out that the owner was just as enthusiastic as I was about the aircraft. I did not realize how used to the 172s I was until I returned to Richmor and had to fly another aircraft. The hardest thing I had to do on my trip was to hand over the keys to the airplane. The next day I got on a return flight home. It was weird after flying for twelve hours that I was flying again but this time was not the pilot. The trip was a special one and gave me the chance to prove to not only other people but myself that I was capable of doing this. I have nothing but good things and a million thanks to give to Lisa and Jeremy. Without these two my trip would not have happened and for that I am eternally grateful.
Overall I feel that every pilot especially students should make a trip similar to this. This trip is the only way to truly know if you want to do this for the rest of your life and for me it was a resounding yes. If I were to give advice to other students who aspire to make this career, it would be to first and foremost to listen to your flight instructor and secondly to "never doubt yourself in the face of extreme adversity."
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