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By CLIFF WILLIAMS

Alex City Outlook

ALEXANDER CITY – Lyman Ward Military Academy junior Jack Graham just got his driver’s license last month, but on Oct. 7 he was flying airplanes solo.

“He is a better pilot than he is a driver,” Jack’s father John Graham said as Jack exited a small plane at the T.C. Russell Airport in Alexander City.

“That was awesome,” Jack said after his solo flight. “It was great.”

Jack, who lives with his family in Shelby County, was up early Sunday morning wheeling the Piper Warrior out of the hangar while fog was still rising on the south end of the runaway. Before long, Jack was going through brake and engine checks with his instructor Eddiy Daly. Then it was off into the wild blue yonder for a little bit before Jack landed delivering Daly to watch Jack fly from the ground.

After three cycles of taking off and landing by himself Jack exited the plane only to be doused with water by Regina Brown.

“The reason for that is to wash away the surly bonds of earth,” Daly said. “You are now a pilot.”

Daly questioned Jack about the differences flying the plane solo.

“It was lighter,” Jack responded. “It took off faster. It dawned on me, but I was not nervous (about flying solo). As long as I stuck to the numbers, I was good.”

Brown, who owns the flight school Lyman Ward has contracted with, said Jack did well.

“You squeaked them,” she said of Jack’s landing. “I thought it was Eddie in the plane with you.”

Jack’s mother Laura also made the journey from Mt Laurel in Shelby County Sunday to see history.

With the first solo flight at Lyman Ward’s newly created aviation program, Jack gets a special call sign – ‘Ranger 01,’ but he is the first of what school officials hope to be many.

“This is Ranger 01,” Lyman Ward director of aviation Jake Norotsky said. “02 and 03 are right behind him, and 04 should solo by Christmas.”

The students in the aviation program are special and requires extra work on the students’ part. The program even requires students to maintain a 90 or better average in all their classes.

“This requires them to drive off campus,” Norotsky said. “They have different rules. Even their meals are moved. They eat bagged lunches or breakfasts at times.

Norotsky said this is when things get tough as he readies for more evaluations and the FAA written test.

Lyman Ward dean of academics Mark Morgan says the aviation program created scheduling challenges but they were able to overcome them to become one of only a few schools to offer a flight program to high school students.

“It is a regular block in the schedule,” Morgan said. “We work the flying times around early morning and lunch so they can get out here. We rotate the schedule around so they are not missing the same class all the time. The cadets are on their own to get up. They are allowed to drive. They get up on their own early in the morning do their flights. Get back and then go to class or they come to the office just before lunch and check out to come fly then check back in.”

Flying is in the blood of Jack Graham.

“My dad was a career army aviator,” Jack’s father John said. “26 years flying anything and everything the Army had. He was a master senior aviator, a tour in Korea and two in Vietnam all in the air. He died before Jack was born.”

John presented his son the bomber jacket worn by his father many decades ago following his solo flight.

John believes the future has no limitations for Jack.

“He has so many opportunities with the shortages that are there now,” John said. He is considering military aviation; going on to commercial, the sky is the limit. He still has to get through high school. Hopefully he will be able to go on to one those schools that offers continuing education and get his commercial. Ideally, he will come out of college with his commercial license and college degree.”

Jack looks forward to what the future holds.

“This has been an awesome experience so far,” the younger Graham said. “I am glad I had the privilege of soloing. I have been wanting to this. I feel like I did well and look forward to moving on and flying more.”

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