by Greg Brown,
Learn to fly at any age with minimal prerequisites… Jeanne Peterson did so after 49 years old.
Jeanne is a reader of my Flying Carpet column in Flight Training magazine. She boldly wondered what age was the ceiling that one could go about learning to fly. I explained anyone can, but that you need to keep motivated toward your goal in order to achieve it.
To help Jeanne out, I forwarded an encouraging email from my friend Linda Anderson, who recently earned her private pilot license at age 60. What happened next is a testament to why the pilot community is so strong. I’ll let Jeanne explain it in her own words…
Dear Greg,
Last November, I emailed you wondering if 48 [years old] was too late to learn to fly. At that time you forwarded me an email from Linda Anderson. I just wanted to thank you for that email. It was such an encouragement to me. I emailed her about her flying experiences and we have become friends. Whenever I’m discouraged, she encourages. We share more than our flying experiences, but it’s so important to be able to talk to someone about flying.
Linda and I have never met [in person], but are making plans for this summer … Since I first emailed you I have almost 40 hours in my logbook in a Cessna 152. It has been a difficult winter to get flying time in, especially with the bitter cold weather we have had in January… At times I have been discouraged thinking it is taking me so long to be able to solo, but then when I put it in the perspective that 40 hours is ONLY one week worth of work then it is truly amazing what I have accomplished so far. If someone would have put me in a plane on a Monday morning and told me that after five days of work, maybe by Friday evening I could fly that plane all by myself, I’m not so sure I would have believed them. CFI’s are so amazing and patient.
[I just turned] 49 this past week. I am still on track with my original goal of completing my certificate before I turn 50 next year. It’s a goal that I now see as obtainable through the encouragement from you, Linda and other pilots who are constantly asking me how my flying is going.
Thanks again,
Jeanne Peterson
As you can see, Jeanne is on track and headed toward her solo flight and her goal of getting a Private Pilot License.
I was so touched by Jeanne’s seedling enthusiasm that I wanted to encourage her further by asking some fellow “older” pilots to share their experiences. I wanted her to see, and you too, that you really can learn to pilot an airplane at any age, even into your 50s, 60s, and beyond.
I’ll post the resulting emails to Jeanne from my friends over the next few days. You’ll find them to be worth returning to read.
A question for you though… Are you considering becoming a pilot? If so, what if anything might be holding you back? Answer in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!
About Greg
Greg Brown is an award winning flight instructor, pilot, author and columnist. In 2000, he was the National Flight Instructor of the Year. Greg writes the Flying Carpet column for AOPA’s Flight Training magazine and co-authored You Can Fly! with Laurel Lippert. His other books include Flying Carpet, The Savvy Flight Instructor, The Turbine Pilot’s Flight Manual, and Job Hunting for Pilots. Visit Greg Brown’s own blog at www.GregBrownFlyingCarpet.com.
