I'll run my hand gently over the wing of a small airplane and say to him, "This plane can teach you more things and give you more gifts than I ever could. It won't get you a better job, a faster car, or a bigger house. But if you treat it with respect and keep your eyes open, it may remind you of some things you used to know -- that life is in the moment, joy matters more than money, the world is a beautiful place, and that dreams really, truly are possible." And then, because airplanes speak in a language beyond words, I'll take him up in the evening summer sky and let the airplane show him what I mean.

Don't forget an inverted flyby the tower to celebrate!

Congrats Todd !And thanks for sharing all your stories with us !Allen

Todd,Congratulations to this great achievement. I wish you lots of wonderful flight and always save landings.Henri

Eventually I will, but for now I think I just want to enjoy the PPL for a while before I go under the hood :)Todd

Thanks Rich! In three weeks I am going to fly from San Jose to San Diego to visit my sister. I'll be flying through the VFR corridor that goes directly over LAX. That should be fun!Todd

Already an AOPA member!

I wanted to take my camera, but I didn't want to scare the DE :)

I KNEW it! The first thing my girlfriend asked when I told her I passed was whether the other pilots at the club showed me the secret handshake. They claimed no knowledge of such a thing. I'm looking forward to it!Todd

Thanks everybody! If you feel the slightest urge to try it for yourself, I urge you to at least go for a discovery flight. It's an incredible feeling! I still say Rich and Fly! helped me immensely.Todd

Well Done Todd! I've been following your training posts since the beginning and they have been an inspiration to all PPL wannabees. Congratulations.Best Regards,Rob Young

Congratulatons Todd.Nice to hear You're a PP SEL.Enjoy the skies. :-haloFrankEBKT

Congratulations, Todd !!!I've not read here for several days, and hadn't seen many updates from you the several days before that. Then, in a flurry you did the final prep and the checkride ! WTG !My plan is to follow you shortly - I still need a couple more CC's, and a solo-CC, and then some fine-tuning and refresher flights for procedures I've not done in awhile. For simming, I've written down the various procedures on little strips of paper and put them in a bowl, and pick them out and do 'em. Kinda simulates the examiner.Weather's been a pain the last month, though, so not much real flying lately.Well done !!!Dave H.Fayetteville, GA

Todd -WAY TO GO!!!! :-) :-jumpyGetting over your nerves to do well on the checkride must have been a bit of a challenge. I'm just about ready to take mine (should be in the next couple weeks; I just finished my three solo cross-countries and have about 43 hours now). I'm more than a little nervous, but reading your story helps build my confidence.A big congrats to you! Enjoy your new ability to take friends and family up with you!Regards,< Eric > :-waveSt. Cloud RegionalKSTC

That's excellent Todd! Congratulations!I like the highlights:>Made a steep descent into the Tracy airport pattern. She >said, "What you are doing is OK, *but*, for the comfort of >your passengers you might consider circling to loose >altitude rather than dive-bombing the airport." Good >advice. :-lol Sounds like she was very cool and had a great sense of humour.....;)Jerome