I retired in 2014. I had two careers. One was 36 years at a large power plant in Craig, Colorado, ending as the maintenance manager, and the other was 26 years with the local part-time fire department, ending as the fire chief.
Upon retirement I needed a new passion. I had started my flying lessons 44 years earlier but as a 21-year-old became distracted easily and didn’t complete my training. My dad was a captain for Delta Air Lines until his retirement and always had a passion for flying that I didn’t understand. One day my wife and I took an introductory flight with a young Iraq War veteran I had hired years earlier, at the fire department. I had no idea he was a CFI and had been flying for 11 years. That flight, on that day, changed my life and helped me discover a new passion in my retirement. I was able to use my mental and physical learning skills once again. I was lucky enough to find an instructor who had the patience and knowledge to teach an old dog new tricks.
My instructor suggested that I sign up with AOPA immediately as I began my training, and I realized right away that the Flight Training magazine I received every month had so much pertinent information in areas I was studying. I kept each issue and reviewed the articles in preparation for the knowledge test. I found the magazine had tips and information that helped me in learning the flying skills I needed and supplemented my textbooks very well. I will continue my subscription to Flight Training as long as I fly, because of the continuous education it provides to me, monthly.
I became a pilot three months after my sixty-fifth birthday and I am so excited to have flying in my life so that I continue to learn and improve my skills and knowledge. I know my dad is proud of me and is with me every time I fly. This truly proves the adage that you are never too old to learn.
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