Completed The 3,300-Mile Journey In A Pipistrel Sinus Motorized Glider

Making a solo flight from California to Maine would be an accomplishment for most pilots, so it's particularly impressive for a teenager who is just old enough to legally fly.

Just hours after the last bell rang for summer vacation at Carmel Middle School in Carmel, CA, Riley Speidel, who is 14 years old, headed to Marina Municipal Airport (KOAR) in Carmel, CA with her dad, United Airlines Captain Jake Speidel. Riley climbed into a Pipistrel Sinus motorized glider and headed east. Nine days and 3,300 miles later, she touched down in Maine.

Jake told the Carmel Pine Cone that he and his daughter began planning for the adventure about two years ago. She soloed the Pipistrel just days after her 14th birthday earlier this year. Her dad picked her up at school, because she's not old enough to drive a car, and she was airborne by 1:30 that afternoon.

Jake followed Riley in another airplane on her cross-country trek. They flew mostly in the mornings to avoid much of the thermal heating that takes place during the day, and there is generally less wind. To cross the mountains early in the flight, they had to fly as high as 9,500 feet, according to the report.

Along the way, Riley gave several talks to aviation groups. They made the final push from Ohio to Maine in a single day, aided by a 45-knot tailwind, arriving in Maine two days early.

Riley comes from a family of pilots. Along with her dad, her mom and sister are both licensed to fly. Jake told The Pine Cone he doesn't lose any sleep over his youngest daughter flying solo. "I would be more concerned if she wanted to go on a road trip with friends to L.A. on her 16th birthday ... that's more risky," he said.

(Image from Pipistrel video used with permission on Aero-News)

FMI: www.pipistrel.com