Not many teenagers can fly a plane before they can drive a vehicle, but Lincoln Preiss celebrated his 16th birthday by taking off from Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport with his dad in the passenger seat.
The Sarnia teen officially received his Recreational Pilot Permit (RPP) on Monday, a moment he's been working toward for three years.
"It's pretty extraordinary that I've made it to this point at such a young age," he told Sarnia News Today.
Lincoln said family vacations fueled his desire to become a pilot.
"Always flying in those planes, I always wondered what it would be like if I could be the one actually flying it," he said. "I went to a summer camp and I went on two flights at that summer camp and it really seemed fun, so I kept going with it."
Huron Flight Services Chief Flight Instructor Jason Brent said it was "exceptionally easy" to train Lincoln.
"I've trained people for 24 years and every now and then, you get someone with that extra spark," Brent said. "I rarely had to repeat anything, he understood it. I could ask questions and he would give me his own words to show his understanding. That's rare in someone young, even in people who are older."
Brent said Lincoln is the youngest person to receive their RPP from Huron Flight Services.
With an RPP, Lincoln can fly anywhere in Canada during the daytime in a single-engine aircraft, with one passenger.
"No one finishes all the requirements before their birthday. He was done, and we were just waiting for [Monday] so he could legally fly with a passenger. Who better to take than his dad?"
Doug Preiss boarded the two-seater alongside the birthday boy, with his mom, Kim, watching from the tarmac.
Both Doug and Kim are following their son's flight path.
"We're both in the process now of getting our licences. We're early. [Lincoln] has 80 hours, whereas we're about 10 to 13 hours in," said Doug. "We saw how much fun he was having and saw it as an opportunity to share this experience with him and grow with him."
Kim said while she was excited for her son, she was also concerned.
"My flying was more spurred on by, can I go up with him? I want to make sure I can be the best copilot I can be," she said. "Once I got up there, I realized why he loved it so much."
The Preiss family has been logging hours in their 1972 Cessna 150, which Doug said has become "part of the family."
Doug and Kim credited the hard work Lincoln has put into receiving his RPP.
"He's been flying for three years, and getting through the practical part of the exam, he probably put in about 300 hours of study time," Doug said.
Lincoln will be able to obtain a private pilot licence once he turns 17. At 18 years old, he'll be able to get a commercial pilot licence, which requires over 250 hours of flight time.
Now, at 16 years of age, Lincoln is also able to take the Ontario G1 test. However, Doug said on Monday that Lincoln wanted to focus on his first flight with an RPP.
After high school, Lincoln plans to go to an aviation college -- possibly at Western University.
"Get a degree in aviation and hopefully, to the airlines," Lincoln said.
Kim and Doug have a 17-year-old daughter as well; however, they chuckled in saying she has "no interest" in becoming a pilot.
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