One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt over the last year is that when you set off on a journey, to achieving an important goal, you will likely have problems you didn’t foresee.
However, even more importantly, there are incredibly useful solutions that will reveal themselves, but only once you have embarked on and committed yourself to the journey. At least, that seems to be the case for me.
At the end of the 2020, I had a chat with one of my accountability partners and told him that my big goal was to solo for my birthday. I had no clue how it would happen, except that I’d try to make it happen.
A few months later, after one of my flying lessons, my car broke down as I pulled away, in slow-moving traffic. Thankfully, this didn’t happen when I was doing 80mph *cough* *cough* I mean 70mph on the M11 motorway (highway).
The mechanics listened to the clanging and banging in the engine and said it wouldn’t be worth fixing. They gave me a quote for a replacement engine, £1,800. I was devasted. I knew this would have a huge impact on my flying.
I was really tempted to put flight training on hold, to pay for my car’s heart transplant. After all, I rely on it for so much more than just transport (particularly when out of lockdowns). As soon as I decided to put flight training on hold, I recognised in myself the same ‘impulse to pause’ that had crippled many people’s path to progress.
A fear grew within. I realised that if I gave myself an excuse to pause flight training, I might always find an excuse to pause it, which means I may never achieve my dream-goal. There was no way I would allow myself to go down that path.
In the end, I decided to take the car off the road for a few months while I saved up and continued with my monthly flying lessons. With my financial priorities split, having my first solo flight before my 30th Birthday seemed impossible.
Here’s what’s crazy though. Out of curiosity, I asked my flying instructor how far I was my first solo flight. He said, he estimated that I would need another 10 hours. 10 hours? That works out to be £1,800 exactly. Remember that figure from anywhere? Coincidence?
I remember a while back, one of my friends advised me to start a crowdfunding campaign. Now seemed as good a time as any, so I launched a Go Fund Me campaign, #SoloBy30.
I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity that I’ve been shown, through financial gifts, as well as words of encouragement. I know that each and every penny gifted to me was hard-earned, and there are many, and arguably better ways that money might have been spent, but those people chose to support me on my journey. I’m humbled and very grateful. Thank you.
If, this time last year, you told me that I’d be preparing for my first solo flight for my 30th Birthday, I’d have bitten you arm off. And yet, here I am, but I’m not sure exactly how it’s all happened. Of course, I’m still a long way from my Private Pilot’s License, but it’s progress, and that’s all one can hope for.
With just over 4 weeks to go, everything seems to be coming together so well. I passed my Air Law exam last year. I’m in the process of sorting out my medical certificate and all the financial gifts I have received have given me a much needed boost to make it all happen.
Solo flight, here I come!
👉🏾Go Fund Me Campaign 👈🏾
👉🏾YouTube👈🏾
👉🏾instagram 👈🏾
Future Pilot Niner One 