AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 22
FLYING LIFE
Happy birthday, Olivia
BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER
One young woman's multiple-checkride challenge
NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER recently
congratulated Olivia
Cardwell (above)
on passing her
commercial ASEL,
commerical AMEL,
CFI, CFII, and
MEI on her first
attempt, from June
16 through 19, with
multiple designated
pilot examiners.
22 | AOPA PILOT August 2018
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY NOW, aviators have been
proving that the answer is "yes" to some of mankind's
most audacious questions. In 1903: Can we develop
a manned aircraft that will sustain powered flight?
In 1927: Can we fly across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop? In 1947: Can we fly an airplane faster than the
speed of sound? I often wonder what motivates people to attempt feats such as these. The risks are high,
and the reward doesn't seem to be an adequate payoff
for all the uncertainty, fear, and hard work. Granted,
these aviators cemented their place in history and
changed the way people would travel for the rest
of time. But what if a larger part of their motivation
was nothing more than a simple desire to see if they
could pull off a feat that many believed they would
fail doing? Would
a good old-fashioned challenge be
enough of a reason to attempt the
improbable?
It turns out that
spirit of loving a
challenge is alive
and well today, even
in the hearts of the
youngest among us.
Last spring I was
approached by an
airport acquaintance,
Mark Cardwell, who
wanted to make an
appointment for his daughter, Olivia. He explained
that Olivia would be turning 17 years old on June 16
and would like to schedule her private pilot checkride
with me as the examiner for that day. (Seventeen is the
minimum age the FAA will allow someone to hold a private pilot certificate.)
"Sure," I told him, excited. "That sounds like something I would love to be a part of." He went on to explain
that not only did she want to take the private ride, she
also wanted to take her instrument and multiengine
practical tests as well. At this point, I started to have
some concerns. First of all, why would anyone want
to put herself through that? The amount of stress and
fatigue associated with taking three checkrides in one
day would increase the chances of a negative outcome.
Second, the FAA does not allow a designated examiner
to give more than two checkrides in a day. Also, checkrides aren't quick. Was there even enough daylight to
accomplish all the tasks? Mark, a professional pilot
himself, assured me he had voiced these concerns to
Olivia, but she would not be dissuaded.
"Aviation is her passion," Mark told me. "She soloed
on her sixteenth birthday and now she wants to do this
on her seventeenth. As her parents, we're happy to support and encourage her, but no one is making her do
this." After looking at the regulations and speaking
with another examiner, we developed a plan. I would
do Olivia's combined private and instrument checkride,
which would allow us to save time by eliminating some
of the required repeat tasks. Then another examiner
would do her multiengine add-on, provided she passed
the private/instrument. Luckily, weather cooperated on
June 16, and Olivia passed her combo checkride with
me before taking a late lunch break and starting on the
multiengine. Later that night I received a text from her
that made me smile. "I just got back, and I passed!!"
I was not too surprised, then, when Mark called
recently and said that for Olivia's eighteenth birthday,
she'd like to do her commercial ASEL followed by the
commercial AMEL add-on. He said that she would also
like to schedule the CFI, CFII, and MEI in the following days. I didn't even try to deter them this time. I just
put it on my calendar. Pass or fail, her determination
is admirable. She is really an amazing young woman. I
called her last night just to check in and get our ducks in
a row. Curious, I asked, "Olivia, why are you doing this?"
For 17, she is surprisingly eloquent. "First and foremost, I'm doing this for myself, to test the limits and see
how much I'm capable of. But I think maybe, I also do it
for other people, so they will know, if I can do something
crazy like this, maybe they can do something big, too."
That's the thing about people who chase their
dreams-they inspire other people to challenge themselves as well. As someone who has been inspired by
those who've come before me, I am grateful for all
those who considered the reward to far outweigh
the risk. Aviation has long been a home for people
who attempt, and sometimes succeed, in conquering seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Wright
brothers, Lindbergh, Yeager. Olivia, you are in good
company. Happy birthday.
AOPA
www.myaviation101.com
http://www.myaviation101.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 9
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 11
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 14
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 17
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 20
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 24
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 43
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - R-8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - 52
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2018 - Cover4
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