At 15 years of age, Jack Fisher is too young to get his driver’s licence – but, he isn’t too young to fly a plane on his own.
The Sunbury teen recently completed his first solo flight in a Topaz light sports aircraft.
Jack began flying lessons when he was 14, spending his weekends at Riddells Creek Airfield’s Airsports Flying School.
Flight instructor Joshua Kamal said it was impressive that Jack had completed his first solo flight at just 15.
“It is quite unusual. Usually, you are 16 or 17 before you do your first solo flight,” Mr Kamal said. “It is incredible that he can’t drive a car yet but he can fly a plane.
“I have always been impressed with Jack’s calm, relaxed demeanor and more importantly, his attention to my instruction and ability to perform the skills I have been teaching him.”
Jack, who dreams of becoming a commercial pilot, said he has wanted to fly for as long as he can remember.
“My inspiration came during a family holiday at the NASA space centre in Florida, where I spent a lot of time on their flight simulators pretending to land the space shuttle,” he said.
Jack said his favourite thing about flying was the sense of freedom it provides.
“Being able to soar through the sky with full control and admiring the views makes me feel like I’m on top of the world,” he said.
“The hardest thing was learning how to land, since there are so many things that you need to focus on when approaching the runway.
“[After my solo flight] I was so elated. I felt like I couldn’t feel my legs after landing.”
Jack’s father, Ray, said he was emotional and nervous watching his son take to the sky on his own for the first time.
“The whole family was so proud to see Jack achieve his dream of flying solo. It’s a credit to the instructors on how well they had prepared him,” he said.
