I passed my check ride today! I am now an officially licensed Private Pilot! I am pretty excited!

Congratulations, best thing I ever did!

A day you will never forget. Congrats.

Congrats.

The best is taking your first non-pilot passenger. It's also the most disconcerting because you get to learn quickly how to deal with distracting conversation as PIC. I'll never forget mine. I wanted to tell her to "shut up, I'm trying to think!" but I didn't.

Great job! Congratulations!!

Fantastic, welcome to the club. Remember what you learned and fly safely. Have fun. If there is any thing you would like to know about flying, we are here to help...

Ken in Alaska

That is AWESOME! I love your aviatar picture too. I have an affection for the C-150/152 series. Even though I like the handling quality and feel of so many other aircraft. Just remember that you are probably safer as a new pilot than many older pilots who occasionally fly a few hours a year. Although nothing can make up for experience. I used to get mad when people would say congrats, now you have a learning licence. However, I have learned that over the 500+ hours since getting my private ticket, that indeed it is a great platform to expand and learn further concepts and applied learning to each new flight. Never forget if you have problems in some area to go back to the basics. Never rush or feel rushed to fly by weather, circumstances or people. Make sure you have a good pilot mentor you can turn to for questions that may arise. Such as weather on a long cross country or whatever!
Welcome to the club brother and dont forget to leave the door open for others to follow behind you someday!

Thanks everybody!

Another congrats from me! Now just try and keep flying. Seems a lot of people get their ticket and then quit flying for some reason. Don't forget to share the experience with others every chance you get! I know I take it for granted sometimes until I take someone up and let them fly the plane for 10 minutes and then get bitched at by their wives because they talk about it 24/7 for the next week May 21st is the National Learn to Fly day.

Cool! Sometimes it just amazes me how flying has changed my life with the friends, adventures and the list goes on. I wish you the same good fortunes ahead.

Dale

Congrats, sounds soapy but I almost cryed when he singed my ticket, most likley it was simular for you.

Way to go! It's so true, what they say, it's just a ticket to keep learning.

I suggest reviewing what AOPA says about taking up a PAX on their first flight. I didn't and there were some tense moments for her that I just took for granted.

I don't know what AOPA has to say about the first passengers you take but here is my .02c.
They are already apprehensive knowing you are a brand new pilot, so;
DON'T show off.
Don't demonstrate stalls or steep turns.
Don't buzz your house. (or your girlfriends house)
DO be smooth.
Try not to make them throw up.

And congratulations, now you have a license to go out and scare yourself and take a friend along to share the experience. (that is what my examiner told me)

It was definitely a moment that I will never forget. It really didn't register until I took off on the flight back to my home airport. I had just landed a few hours before, nervous as heck and hoping that I would do well. I realized that I had made my first takeoff as a licensed pilot. The view from the cockpit was just a little sweeter on the flight home.

The check ride and oral were nowhere near as bad as I had made them out to be in my mind. I guess I knew more than I thought I did.

I am probably the most boring pilot in the world. I like to fly nice and easy, and enjoy the view.

Congratulations and welcome to the club! Just take it easy and build some time and most of all enjoy your accomplishment!

I will add my congrats to the bunch and throw in a similar bit of advice, You know what you should and should not do, what you are capable of and so on. Please don't let anyone lead you astray into something that you know you should not do.

Have a great time and fly whenever you can.

172heavy wrote:Congrats, sounds soapy but I almost cryed when he singed my ticket, most likley it was simular for you.

Doesn't sound soapy....

....to me.

A hundred years ago when I was nearly starving, riding a bicycle for transportation, sleeping behind the hangar in a tent, working my way through college and flight school as a lineboy.....via the mail at the airport I got the results of my flight instructor written exam.

I went out behind the fuel truck and opened the letter. When I saw passing scores on both parts I cried like a baby. It meant that soon I could start getting paid for flying and building a future for myself. Thus began a professional career that lasted for 40 years and continues today in private aviation.

Oh yeah.......CONGRATULATIONS to our newest pilot. You are one of an ever diminishing number. Have fun. Be safe. You will never regret it!!

Bob

not much here to add except the ride home from the exam was something i'll never forget. like i was floating in space, being the best i could be, and so proud of myself i couldn't stop smiling for the 30 miles back to home base. congrats, the feeling will never leave you and you have something to be proud of forever.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend, so I can take my daughter out for a burger somewhere. It's not looking too promising, though. :/