California Middle-School Student Flies To Maine ... Solo | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.13.24

Airborne-NextGen-05.14.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.15.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers-05.16.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.17.24

Tue, Jul 02, 2019

California Middle-School Student Flies To Maine ... Solo

Completed The 3,300-Mile Journey In A Pipistrel Sinus Motorized Glider

Making a solo flight from California to Maine would be an accomplishment for most pilots, so it's particularly impressive for a teenager who is just old enough to legally fly.

Just hours after the last bell rang for summer vacation at Carmel Middle School in Carmel, CA, Riley Speidel, who is 14 years old, headed to Marina Municipal Airport (KOAR) in Carmel, CA with her dad, United Airlines Captain Jake Speidel. Riley climbed into a Pipistrel Sinus motorized glider and headed east. Nine days and 3,300 miles later, she touched down in Maine.

Jake told the Carmel Pine Cone that he and his daughter began planning for the adventure about two years ago. She soloed the Pipistrel just days after her 14th birthday earlier this year. Her dad picked her up at school, because she's not old enough to drive a car, and she was airborne by 1:30 that afternoon.

Jake followed Riley in another airplane on her cross-country trek. They flew mostly in the mornings to avoid much of the thermal heating that takes place during the day, and there is generally less wind. To cross the mountains early in the flight, they had to fly as high as 9,500 feet, according to the report.

Along the way, Riley gave several talks to aviation groups. They made the final push from Ohio to Maine in a single day, aided by a 45-knot tailwind, arriving in Maine two days early.

Riley comes from a family of pilots. Along with her dad, her mom and sister are both licensed to fly. Jake told The Pine Cone he doesn't lose any sleep over his youngest daughter flying solo. "I would be more concerned if she wanted to go on a road trip with friends to L.A. on her 16th birthday ... that's more risky," he said.

(Image from Pipistrel video used with permission on Aero-News)

FMI: www.pipistrel.com

Advertisement

More News

Classic Aero-TV: Remembering Bob Hoover

From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]

ANN FAQ: Follow Us On Instagram!

Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.15.24)

Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.15.24):Altimeter Setting

Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.16.24)

"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC