Solo Flight in the T-6

After what felt like a zillion cancellations due to weather, Rob solo-ed in the T-6!  It was such an exciting day and I was so proud to see him fly up there by himself.  He has been learning to fly this specific plane for ~5 months so it was awesome to see all the hard work pay off.  He still has lots to learn about flying this plane and will fly alone several more times in it over the next couple of months but this first solo flight is a big deal!



The aviation community has a ton of cool traditions.  When Rob completed his solo flight at IFS, the tradition was to cut off the tail of your shirt, sign it, and hang it on the wall.  This time when he completed his solo in the T-6 (bigger, faster plane), VT-3 has a tradition of dunking the newly solo-ed student in the "dunk tank".  Although it was almost 95 degrees out, the water in the dunk tank did not look appealing!  Rob was a good sport though and splashed around/swam a couple laps ;)



When he went to turn in his paperwork, the secretary turned on the bubble machine, blew her horn, and started blasting "Ridin' Solo" by Jason DeRulo!  I loved this tradition and could not stop laughing when she made Rob dance in the bubbles.

After we went home and got cleaned up, we grabbed lunch at Norma's at Duh to celebrate.  This is one of our absolute favorite restaurants in Pensacola as everything on the menu is amazing.  Her chicken salad is practically famous in Pensacola, the poppy seed dressing on the fruit is delicious, and every meal comes with her signature bread pudding for dessert.



Last time we had lunch at Norma's, I had to buy the cookbook because I just couldn't get enough of the chicken salad.  While it was tasty at home, I never pass up a chance to eat in the restaurant.  Located inside of Duh, I can't resist exploring and daydreaming in all of the stores of Duh after lunch.  I can only compare Duh to interior decorating heaven!