Today is a big day for Izzy. It’s the day that every pilot never forgets. It’s her first solo flight today.

Izzy and I have been flying together for the past several months, and during that time, I’ve watched her develop into a very skilled student pilot.

At just sixteen years old, she has truly become the master and pilot in command of her Cessna 172 that she affectionally calls “Dolly”.

After flying three flawless laps in the pattern earlier, that her silent flight instructor sitting next to her just watched. She said out loud, “I think my ghost instructor Mark would be very proud of those landings if he had seen them.”

I smiled, shook my head, and said okay, do you want to solo today, already knowing her answer. And the rest was her history in the making.

Watch as Izzy makes her debut solo flight.