Sequim student goes solo in the sky

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Sequim’s Madeline Patterson went sky high for a personal milestone in late August.

She took her first solo flight on Aug. 25, only three weeks after her 16th birthday and shortly thereafter obtaining her student’s pilot license. The Federal Aviation Administration requires flyers be at least 16 to take a solo flight. Patterson, a member of the Civil Air Patrol’s Dungeness Composite Squadron, intends to earn her private pilot’s license, which she must earn by turning 17 and flying dozens of more hours performing a multitude of tasks. Patterson said she intends to become a pilot for a career, preferably in the U.S. Coast Guard. She trained under Jeff Well, owner of Rite Bros. Aviation, Inc. in Port Angeles.