Dear Garrett..

Following my first solo flight, I had flown seven more solo flights when my instructor said, “It’s time to begin your cross-country flight training. Where would you like to go on your first cross country?” I had been so busy and engrossed in flying my solo flights that flying cross country hadn’t even crossed my mind. Tom’s notice came as a surprise to me.

With very little reflection, I told Tom that I wanted to make my first cross-country to the San Francisco Airport (SFO). Tom was visibly shaken when I told him SFO. It was the most animated I ever saw Tom respond to anything we had experienced together! His immediate response was, “We can’t fly to the SFO Airport.” When I asked why, with a puzzled look on his face, Tom said, “It wouldn’t be an appropriate choice for your first cross country training flight.” I told Tom that SFO was the only place I wanted to fly and that I really wanted to fly there. Following a few minutes of seemingly awkward and strained deliberation in his mind Tom said, “Okay, we’ll fly to SFO.”

As I look back on my request and Tom’s subsequent agreement to fly to SFO for my first cross country training flight, I realized that Tom was plenty stout hearted to grant such a request. SFO was one of the busiest and most sophisticated airports in the world. Any instructor less than stout hearted would not have been willing to take on such a mission for a student’s first cross-country training flight. Not only would Tom have his hands full training this young student pilot everything there is to know about cross country flying but he would have to know how to simultaneously handle the sophistication of the SFO Airport.

We departed Monterey July 9, 1966 making our first stop at the Santa Cruz Skypark Airport. The Santa Cruz Airport had a short 2300′ strip with a cliff at one end. Departing Santa Cruz, we then headed to SFO. The flight to SFO was great. It went without a hitch, though we had a lot of extra radio work to handle. We landed on runway 28 Right at SFO and taxied to Butler Aviation for a break and briefing.

Preparing for departure at SFO, we were cleared into position on runway 1 Left. At the same time a Lear Jet was cleared into position on 1 Right. The tower cleared the Lear for take off and then immediately cleared us for takeoff shortly afterwards. Obviously the tower wasn’t worried about us overtaking the Lear in our Cessna 150. The picture of us departing simultaneously with a Lear at SFO was a pretty and memorable sight! Tom did a great job training me on this exceptional first cross country flight!

Seven days after my cross-country flight to SFO, I flew my second dual cross country flight with Tom from Monterey to Santa Barbara (SBA) and return to MRY. On the way to SBA Tom failed our Cessna 150 100 horsepower Continental engine for a practice emergency landing at the King City Airport located in the Salinas valley. On the return flight to MRY Tom failed the engine again for another practice emergency landing at the Carmel Valley Airport.

In the logbook endorsement for my second dual cross-country Tom wrote, “Very good cross-country” which surprised me. It wasn’t like Tom to be expressive with such a high compliment. It must have been okay because seven days following my second dual cross-country I was sent off on my first solo cross-country.

Five days prior to beginning my solo cross country flights, Tom and I flew my first night training flight. The flight lasted 2.1 hours. Night flying felt much different to me than flying in daylight. Movement through the air at night felt motionless. Distances were more difficult to judge both horizontally and vertically. The night air was calm. Increased reliance on the flight instruments was more important. The Earth looks less populated at night. I liked flying at night.