In early August of 2021, I was kayaking with a couple of friends when we started talking about how exciting it would be to actually fly a plane. The three of us got very excited and I called Inflight the next day to make reservations for Discovery Flights for the 3 of us. On the day we were scheduled to fly, the weather was not looking good, so we were rescheduled for Aug 23rd. 

The discovery flight involved getting a first hand knowledge of what the responsibilities of a pilot are. These included doing a preflight to ensure the plane is in a good condition to fly and with enough fuel for the flight. The radio communications seemed really overwhelming at that time as the pilot communicated with the airport ground and tower control. After takeoff, I was given a tour of the nearby areas, including Lake Minnetonka. I had always seen the lake while on a boat in the water, but this was the first time I got to see it at 1000’ in the air. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the beauty of Minnesota from the air. After we landed, we all decided that getting a pilot license was an exciting endeavor that we were all going to pursue to be able to experience the dream of flight.

Fast forward a couple of months, and I was the only one continuing in the progress towards my private license. To start, I had to get my security verified with the TSA as I was not a US citizen. This involved filling out a lengthy form and going in person for fingerprinting. To TSA’s credit, the verification came through within a day after I submitted my fingerprints.

Another task to complete before going through with the pilot program, was to get my third grade medical exam. This can only be done by an FAA approved Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). It was fairly easy to find an examiner on the FAA’s website and after getting an all clear from him, I called Inflight to schedule my first flight course.

Inflight required a form to be completed with some details. This helps them pairing new students with Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) who have similar interests and timing availability. I was paired with David Brindle, who was available on weeknights and weekends which worked well for my work schedule.