Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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, rean earns of flight (continued from page 20) maneuvers, he said. We were pulling a lot of Gs and the pilot cracked it hard. I got sick, so we raised up for a little bit and then went back down again. The dangers of flying andpossiblities of accidents sometimes worried DiDio. When I ' m with my instructor, if anything went wrong, he could always bring us to safety, he said. Flying solo lacked the safety net an instructor provided. Soloing is a great feeling, and I ' m really relaxed. But if I screw up now, I ' m history, DiDio said. If you don ' t screw up too bad, a fatality probably won ' t happen. Accidents only happen for two reasons: you screw up or the aircraft screws up, and you can control one of those. Landing was often a terrifying experience for new pilots, Mike Spicer, DiDio ' s flight instructor, said. When they see the ground rushing up at them, they have to be pretty close to just right, he said. DiDio said learning to land usually took between 10 and 12 hours of practice. I was really nervous the first time I landed solo, but I was concentrating so hard that I forgot about my nervousness, he said. After I landed the plane and the controls were all sweaty, I just leaned back and took a deep breath. DiDio said although flying made him nervous, he enjoyed the challenges it brought. Being in the air is totally different from being on the ground, he said. Before flying, I always liked the idea of it, but now that I ' m flying, I just love it. Jpicer answers questions about oil levels as he and DiDio look at the engine through the engine crowlings. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) Certified flight instructor Spicer, Clay Center, fuels up the single- engine Cessna ISO before DiDio ' s cross- country flight. DiDio did most of his flight training in the Cessna ISO. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) 22 -Pilot ' s License-

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Piloting Spicer Aircraft ' s Cessna 1 50, DiDio begins his climb into the standard traffic pattern after taking the single runway at the Clay Center Municipal Airport. DiDio commuted to Clay Center several times a week for flight instruction from Mike Spicer. He began working on his license in May 1995 and planned to complete in March 1996. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) Mike DiDio, senior in electrical engineering, studies maps, making calculations for fuel, navigation and distances while planning a short solo cross-country trip. DiDio made the trip as he trained and accumulated hours towards his license. He had to pass a practical test in addition to 40 hours of required flight time. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) -Pilot ' s License- 2 1

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Following tradition, DiDio commemorates his first solo flight with his shirt tail. Pilots usually flew solo after 10 hours of instruction. But before training could begin, students had to go through ground school and pass an FAA written test. (Photo by Kyle Wyatt) -Pilot ' s License- 23