West Texas Whirlwind

I dropped off my best friend, Brenna McGuinness, in the Far West Texas desert on Sunday, February 15, with one goal—learn to fly the right way.

Having learned in an Aeronca 7AC Champ 10 years ago, I’ve always believed in learning to fly by feel and the old ways of stick and rudder. Simply put, I didn’t want McGuinness starting out any other way. 

Well, a few weeks ago the stars began to unexpectedly align while I was out on assignment for a Plane + Pilot feature story for our March/April issue about flying to Big Bend National Park. 

While visiting Fulcher Field in Terlingua, I met Alex Whitmore, a retired Delta Air Lines captain and former Vietnam War pilot who actually knew my first flight instructor, Ron Alexander. 

When Whitmore asked if everyone in my group was a pilot, I smiled and said, “Almost everyone. Brenna just hasn’t gotten there yet.”

Without skipping a beat, Whitmore offered his time and Champ to get McGuinness to at least solo. 

From there things moved quickly. After a week of logistics (and a little convincing), McGuinness took the leap. With my rental aircraft, a Cirrus SR20, out of commission, I drove McGuinness six hours back to Terlingua and told her I wasn’t coming to pick her up until she soloed. 

Well, just five days later, after 5.7 hours of dual instruction, McGuinness, a Montana snowbird, soloed off Fulcher Field (3TE8), a private gravel strip in the middle of the west Texas desert. 

“I was focusing too much on my airspeed in the pattern, but when he covered it up, I just flew and everything fell into place,” said McGuinness. “But the solo was so cool. I just realized I was by myself, and I was like, ‘Holy cow! I can fly all by myself.’”

I want to particularly thank Alex and Marti Whitmore for making this possible, and McGuinness for trusting me and saying yes to the opportunity to learn in an old school training environment far removed from autopilots and glass screens. 

Once again, I’m absolutely blown away by the generosity, compassion, and willingness of fellow aviators to bring others into the fold. It’s a reminder that you never know who you might meet—or how one small opportunity can turn into something completely unexpected.

If you’re in a position to give back, whether through a scholarship, donating a flight, offering mentorship, or providing instruction, you truly have the power to change a life. You might just be the reason someone falls in love with aviation for good.

Congrats, Brenna. Welcome to the club.