Caroline Dougherty Completes First Solo On Her 16th Birthday

A special thing happened recently at the Golden Age Aviation Museum in Bethel, PA.

Sixteen-year-old Caroline Dougherty made her first solo flight. And while that in itself is pretty cool and reason for congratulations, Caroline had the opportunity to make that first solo flight in a very special airplane; a 100-year-old Curtiss JN-4D Jenny that belongs to her dad.

Caroline's dad Paul Dougherty is the president of the Golden Age Aviation Museum with some 22,000 hours in his logbook. Caroline has been around airplanes her entire life. She has flown many hours with her father, and grew up around the small museum and its grass runway.

The website Airmuseumnetwork.com reports that Caroline decided she wanted to become a pilot after watching Patty Wagstaff at an airshow. He dad gladly became her flight instructor, and now she has completed one of the most significant milestones for any pilot; the first solo.

Caroline had her choice of several airplanes in which to solo, but she wanted to fly the Jenny. Her dad didn't balk, and on her 16th birthday, she flew it alone.

It may be the only time a 16-year-old student has soloed in a 100-year-old Jenny. We'd bet that Caroline has a bright future in aviation ahead of her.

(Images from YouTube video posted by Paul Dougherty)

FMI: Original Story