FULL CIRCLE Around the patch and back in time Pilots often develop a special relationship with the aircraft in which they receive their early lessons. Such experiences-especially their first solo flights-are in some ways similar to their first kiss or their first slow dance, thoughts of which almost always elicit unforgettable and fond memories. BY BARRY SCHIFF P H O TO G R A P H Y B Y M I K E F I Z E R BARRY SCHIFF FIRST SOLOED Aeronca N81881 on his sixteenth birthday (right) and commemorated that flight by soloing the identical airplane (below) 64 years later on his eightieth birthday. 66 | AOPA PILOT October 2018