AOPA Project Pilot

Nobody really climbs their "Everest" alone. Even if you are literally alone and literally climbing Mt. Everest...there was a team of people who taught you, supported you and mentored you. In my case, when I soloed, I was physically alone in the airplane, but I also had a support team. Of course, in flight training, the most obvious member of your team is your flight instructor and luckily for me, Paul is very experienced, patient and makes safety priority one at all times. I have tried other instructors and they just weren't the right fit.

Another essential member of my support team is my AOPA Project Pilot Mentor, Diana Richards. Diana actually found me on Pilots of America. I was on a forum asking for help with seeing over the cowling of the 172 since I am 5'6" and have struggled with this in some aircraft. Diana and a few other pilots, including my friend Lynn had a lot of good advice and encouragement for me. Now that challenge is luckily behind me. Diana it turns out is from Southwest Missouri, which is the area in which I grew up. We started to figure out that we might share some connections and it turns out that Diana's flight instructor, Tom Richards, was one of my Dad's (yes, my father is a CFI more on that in a future entry) students years ago. Long story short, Tom and Diana were later married and so now things have come full circle: Dad was one of Tom's instructors, who then taught Diana how to fly and now she is my mentor...small world!! Tom also taught one of my uncles how to fly as well and I have often heard my grandfather (also a pilot) speak about Tom. So far Diana and I communicate regularly by email. I always write after each lesson and share what went right and if anything went wrong....she has been especially good at keeping my confidence up during this challenge. Since my mother and grandfather live very near to her, we plan to visit in person in April and do some flying in her Citabria!! Amazingly, Diana is an acrobatic pilot now and I never thought I would say this...but I'm looking forward to doing some spins and going upside down for the first time in my life soon!! I am very lucky to have Diana as my mentor!