17-YEAR-OLD STUDENT PILOT LANDS HER PLANE WITHOUT A WHEEL!

[waltertaraska]

To the fine folks at VASAviation and everyone who has expressed support and admiration for Maggie over the last week, we greatly appreciate your thoughts and words. To answer the question below - yes Maggie has seen this video.

..and to M. Katze - don’t be terrified. You - just like Maggie - will find the confidence you need if tested like this. You’ve already shown you have it in you or you wouldn’t have become a student pilot in the first place.

BTW - weather permitting Maggie will go back up today!

Walt Taraska “Maggie’s Dad”

[virtualatheist]

The definition of courage is being scared shitless and still getting the job done.

[waltinterestingstuff]

Received a note today asking whether Maggie is flying again. I’m proud to say that after a bit of a break Maggie got back into the same plane (with a new wing and right main) and re-soloed. She’s pretty close to finishing up and getting her license even with all the craziness going on this year.

I can’t believe two years have gone by and we still receive notes weekly. I would again like to express our appreciation for all the kind words and encouragement you have expressed. The aviation community is a special place - there are 5600 comments that are examples of how special it is. Thanks again

Maggie’s Dad

[NoriMori]

0:45 - Can we take a moment to appreciate this unnamed guy, who noticed the gear fall off and immediately informed the tower? If he hadn't noticed, or hadn't said anything, no one else might have noticed until it was too late to plan out a landing, or maybe even until Maggie landed in Portland and found herself inexplicably careering off the runway.

[BillyAlabama]

I think the lady in the tower couldn’t have handled this any better. Her kindness to the student rings clearly through every word.

[KingOfTheWorld]

I like the part where the ATC lady instantly changed from professional to motherly once she learnt Maggie is alone up there..

[pronerider]

She calmed down a LOT once she heard HER Instructor come over the radio. That's a sign of a fantastic instructor. She had complete confidence that he'd get her down safely. Good stuff and she did a great job!

[DanielFrost]

1:29---The terror in her voice when she says "okay" breaks my heart every time. So glad she landed safely.

[Notimprtant]

As soon as she says “Alright, looking for traffic” you can tell she gets her confidence back. She knows in that moment she’s a real pilot. She’s gonna do whatever she wants to in life.

[zeus]

Christ that first "okay" just hits me right in the heart

[saundrahuff]

The other pilots congratulating her makes this even better.

[majornewb]

Maggie was great, ATC was great, but let's give that guy who identified the main gear problem some major props

[Chellz]

Her little scared “okay” made me snap back to realizing this is a child in such a dangerous situation and it really hurt my heart. She did a wonderful job staying as composed as she did, she’s got a bright future ahead. This goes to show no matter how old a teenager is when they get into tough or dangerous situations they are still a child who needs help and guidance. Glad she had all those people behind her and her skills once she was assured that she could do it by her instructors. They believed in her too, you can tell by the way they spoke. Great job!

[jerrodp]

1:21 I love how this Lady went into MOM MODE immediately. Great ATC controller.

[OutcastsRedeemer]

Maggie: *Says "Okay." in a scared voice*

Literally every adult: *Maternal/Paternal instincts activate!*

[VASAviation]

*I must admit I nearly cried with this...*
Aviation is empathy. Aviation is helping others. Congrats (and also thanks) to Maggie, Instructors John and Greg and the Air Traffic Controller for showing how we all should act in these situations. Captain Maggie, you kept calm, you flew your aircraft and you did bring it down safely. Good job!

[JohnDoe-lxdt]

It’s the random pilots at the end, you can tell they’ve been watching the whole thing and are damn proud of her for some fantastic flying

[BenLovejoy]

Tower: "Your right main fell off, say your intentions."
Maggie: "Intending to hire a different mechanic."

[nimbuskhannk]

I am a pilot with over 16000 flight hours in my log book, some of those as a fighter pilot, many as an airline captain. During those almost 2-continuous-years inside cockpits and flight decks I have had my share of in inflight malfunctions and emergencies, up to and including due recourse use of an ejection seat. I wish I could personally tell Maggie this: I don't think I would have behaved as bravely and competently as she did, had I lost a main landing gear on my first solo, over 35 years ago.

[pdxholmes]

Watching this video years later, but as a father to a daughter, the moment she said "Okay" in that scared voice, I got extremely emotional. She did amazing and it's great to hear she continued to fly.