Thank God it’s Friday (TGIF). September 8, 2017 must have really been a very lucky day for one of the newly reported flightless eaglet of PPL Batch Foxtrot 2017. This morning, on or about 1015H, flying Cessna 172M RP-C7857, Student Pilot Charles Capalungan Valdehueza, 26 years old native from faraway Clarin, Misamis Occidental and a product of La Salle University Ozamiz, BS Financial Management achieved the unforgettable 1st Solo Flight courtesy of the very energetic and well-liked Senior Flight Instructor Vladimir Evangelista. By the way, both our 1st soloist for the day and the assigned Checker are dependents and sons of seasoned veteran Attack Pilots (T-28D or Tora-Tora) of the famous 15th Strike Wing of the Air Force, Col Dodong Valdehueza PAF (Ret) and Capt Franco Evangelista respectively & ironically classmates of PAFFS Class 76. Moreover, the subject student pilot was a former employee of the ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative, the certified owner or mother company of LEIAAI which qualifies him in it’s Pilot Training Scholarship Program of “Fly now Pay Later”. Henceforth, with the sterling accomplishment of reaching the most coveted feat in aviation, 1st Solo Flight, Charles may now plot a flight plan towards a very bright, glamorous & rewarding profession! But in doing so, it would mean a long and winding career pattern in the highest degree and culture of discipline, hard work,, punctuality, integrity, due diligence, passion, patience, etc… all prerequisites in getting hired in the very stiff competition in the aviation industry. Furthermore, the hectic flight training will be full of ups and downs, turbulent weather, touch and go’s, climb and climbing turns, power on/off stalls, airworks, instrument flying, simulated emergency force landing maneuvers, navigation flights, etc….
Once again, congratulations SP Charles Valdehueza and welcome to the club of the few & elite members of the young and daring eaglets ready for takeoff to fully explore and conquer the infinite vastness of the horizon and clear blue skies of SFLU, where the eagles’ nest of LEIAAI is located. Have a happy and Safe Flight always! Cheers and God bless!✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️