FAA was actually helpful this time!

[SilverEagle2]

So my Dad was digging through his basement and found a photo of me getting a congratulatory hand shake from my Solo Encampment instructor after successfully completing my first solo.

[img alt=]http://captalk.net/MGalleryItem.php?id=10[/img]

Keep in mind that I did this in 1992. I did not touch a yoke again to log time until 2006 but proudly wore my solo wings as a cadet for 3 years until separating from CAP.

Anyway, I got this picture in the mail and thought, I wonder if I could find my original instructor? I bet he would like to know that I finished and rejoined CAP as a senior.

I knew his name, but looked in the back of my logbook to confirm and noticed a CFI cert number and figured that would come in handy. It did not, and back then, cert numbers were SSN's anyway. So I went to the FAA airman certificate database search and entered his name. It returned 4 entries. I then looked to see if any of those had been or are current CFI's. It narrowed the search to one. It was a long shot, but I wrote a little letter and sent it off.

I got an email yesterday from him having received my letter, with fond congratulatory remarks on my completion of my PPL and a desire to catch up. Turns out we are in the same region despite his inactivity in CAP. Not bad for both starting out in the OHWG.

So, for once, the FAA was helpful and I was able to reconnect after 17 years with my original instructor.

Just thought I'd share.

[es_g0d]

More important than the achievements of the instructor are the successes of the student ... CONGRATULATIONS on your private pilot certificate.  A noteworthy achievement that can last a lifetime.