Date: 7/13/1969
The very first entry in my Pilot Flight Log; flying out of Charleston, a mixed use civil and military field. Aircraft type was PA-28-140, commonly referred to as a Cherokee 140. My instructor signed off with the entry "Orientation-straight and level, climbs and descents.". Total Flight Time: .9 hrs (dual).
Lacking three days of a year later, on 7/10/1970, I took my Private Check ride with the chief pilot of Hawthorne Aviation, who dutifully issued me a Temporary Airman Certificate that stated I'd been found properly qualified and was hereby authorized to exercise the privileges of Private Pilot, with the ratings and limitations of Airplane Single Engine Land.
My Pilot Flight Log showed a combined total of 55.9 hrs, of which 19.3 hrs was Command time.
I never flew another airplane.
The reasons why I never flew again could fill a book, a book I've no intention of ever writing. Life happens, and I've no complaints.
But I still have not only the Temporary, but also the Certificate itself, the Class Three Medical, my restricted radio telephone operator's permit, and the Pilot Flight Log, all yellow with age, and all kept in a fireproof strongbox, with the rest of my important stuff.
