My name is Colin Payette and I'm a private pilot in beautiful southern California. I began training in March of 2011 and passed my PPL checkride February 8th, 2012.
A lot of people learn to fly because they were around airplanes their entire lives. They tell tales of being kids and watching planes fly by, or taking to the skies with their pilot parents or grandparents. I had none of those experiences, and first stepped foot onto an airplane at the age of 27. That flight began a summer of traveling back and forth between San Diego and Detroit to visit the woman who is now my amazing wife, Christina.
That summer came with two loves, as ever since that first takeoff I knew I wanted to be in the skies as much as possible. I didn't actually learn to fly until a couple years later, but the passion was growing!
I have had the fortune of training with two awesome CFIs the past year. My first 60 hours were with Michael Lehman, and he really taught me to fly from the ground up. We got along very well, and I looked forward to every lesson. When I left that flying school, I found an independant CFI - Garry Wing (www.flythewing.com) who helped me finish my required hours and taught me a lot about becoming a safe pilot. His years of experience were evident and he finished my training efficiently.
I'm still low-hours with my license to learn, and am beginning to create stories as I show others the joys of being aloft!
