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March 9th, 2011 
AirplanePorn PIC (Porn In Command!) 
This is a story from Tamara Griffith (aka @agapilot on twitter) who is starting her own blog over at http://agapilot.blogspot.com. She hails from a very diverse aviation family. Tamara’s an ATP. Her Mom is also an ATP multi, CFI, CFII, MEI as well as A&P with IA ( since 1977). Her mom is also retired ATC specialist currently flying corporate with her dad (working harder now than in the tower- he has a habit of telling her what to say n the radio?! Dad does it to most of us actually she says) plus recently a DPE out of the Lubbock region in Texas. Dad is an A&P and commercial multi single, helicopter and CFI, CFII, and heli instructor.
I bet dinner time talk has a healthy dose of hanger talk! Enjoy this great story of some of Tamara’s earliest memories of flight!
My earliest memories of the beautiful, blue and white taildragger was from about when I was about four or five years old. Dad up front flying and usually me in the back. My first radio call to a tower was when I was five in that plane to my mom who was working in KLAW tower back then. Dad definitely had to coach me through that call, but I remember feeling so excited when I heard my mom answer us back. We did lots of these flights which often ended up with me in the baggage area.
I was a perfect fit there until about 10 years old.
First Solo Jitters
It occurred to me as I was solo’ing Stephan this morning, that I think the instructor is way more nervous than the student during a first solo! Stephen climbed into the airplane, cranked up the trust Lycoming and taxied out to 18L at KNEW (Lakefront Airport, New Orleans, LA).
I sat there and watched. My headset plugged into the handheld radio, I followed his radio calls – pacing the ramp between two 172′s.
This day has been a long time coming for Stephan, about two and a half years. He had attended one of those small “technical” colleges where he told me the instruction was poor and the only thing they were really good at was taking his money.
So we started flying twice a weekend. We worked on landings, then radio calls. We spent what seemed like countless hours working the pattern at Slidell, LA (KASD) our local “uncontrolled” airport. It really wasn’t that much, but when you’re the instructor, a trip around the pattern seems to take forever.
Stephan got better, a lot better. Last week he rode with our resident check instructor for his pre-solo check ride. He passed with flying colors.
So today was the day.
Congratulations Stephan! Now I’m gonna go find a Valium….