Vaughn's First Soloist

Jan. 11, 3 p.m.: Franklin Pillcorema emerged from the cockpit exhilarated and a touch exhausted on Wednesday, but he has the honor of being the first Vaughn College student to complete a solo flight at Redbird Skyport. 

Under the clearest of skies, Pillcorema, a Vaughn junior, took the pilot's chair for about an hour, completing three landings. Upon finishing, he was greeted enthusiastically by Redbird instruction staff and his fellow Vaughn students.

"It was amazing," Pillcorema exclaimed. "It felt real different than flying in New York. The view was incredible."

It was a learning experience for the 20-year-old Pillcorema, who is from Ecuador and now lives in the Bronx. His landing form wasn't perfect, but that only gives him something on which to build.

"My landing flaps were a little off," he said. "They were at a 10 percent angle and they need to be at zero percent. It gives me something to work on."

-- James Stephen Smith,

Director of Public Affairs

Franklin Pillcorema completed a solo flight on Wednesday.