Young pilot learns valuable lesson after scary moment at Oakland County Airport
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A scary situation at the Oakland County Airport turned into a valuable lesson for a young Pontiac pilot.
In her third solo flight, 21-year-old Taylor Hash found herself in a position no pilot of any age would ever want to be in.
"Everything was completely normal. Taxied down to the runway, completely normal," said Hash.
It was completely normal until after she hit the skies. Another pilot preparing for takeoff noticed something about Hash's Diamond 20 single-engine plane.
"He called on the radio and said, "Hey tower, the Diamond Star that just took off, their wheel and assembly fell off and is on the runway," Hash said.
Uneasy to say the least was Hash's first feeling, knowing that it was her plane being discussed over the airwaves.
"I waited on the radio for a minute. Kind of, 'Did I just see that?' Kind of like a cartoon. I was waiting for the Road Runner to come out," said Chris Yates, a veteran pilot who noticed everything unfold from the ground.
As a pilot of more than 40 years and a father of two daughters, who are also in their 20s, "dad mode" kicked in for Yates.
"I just said, 'Let's go out, take some time, take some space, go fly north of the airport, go fly for a bit and get your bearings, get your heading. We got lots of time,'" Yates said recalling his conversation with Hash over the radio.
During that time, Yates was looking to do anything he could to ease Hash's mind. Yates, at the time, didn't even know her first name. Little did Hash know, saying her name was Taylor would put a brief pause on the airwaves.
"He took probably 10-15 seconds and didn't answer. So I was like, 'Did he hear me say that? Is someone else queued up on the mic? Did my radio go out'? Finally, he comes back, and you can tell in his voice he's a little choked up. He goes, 'My daughter's name's Taylor. You know, I taught her how to fly as a girl. You're going to be ok,'" Hash said about Yates.
"It seized my body, and it still gives me a choking feeling in my chest," Yates said about that moment.
They both knew, after some time getting their heads straight, it was time to get Hash back on the ground.
Despite being a little shaken up, a small scratch in the cement isn't going to stop Hash from getting back at it again soon.
"It just makes me more confident. More confident as a pilot and reassures me that this is what I'm supposed to be doing," said Hash.
