By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
For 17-year-old Tony Richardson, the irony is striking — he can fly an airplane from one airport to another by himself, but he cannot drive to school in a car alone.
But that doesn’t really bother the Lawrence High School junior, who earned his private pilot’s license Sept. 21 — just a few weeks after he received his driver’s license permit.
Tony, who has been taking pilot’s lessons since he was 14, is one of the youngest pilots in the area. The Skillman Avenue resident said 17 is the minimum age to receive a private pilot’s license.
Tony said he could always remember being interested in anything that was related to transportation, whether it was cars, trains or airplanes.
But it was the film “The High and the Mighty,” which starred actor John Wayne, that really sparked his interest in airplanes. The film is about an airliner that develops mechanical problems. The pilot loses his nerve and it is up to the co-pilot, played by John Wayne, to take over.
Soon after Tony saw the film, he persuaded his parents to purchase the video game “Flight Simulator 2004” — and that was it. Tony, who was 13 at the time, said he was “pretty much hooked” on flying.
At about the same time, Tony took his first airplane ride during a visit to his grandfather’s home in Puerto Rico. The family passed an airstrip that offered airplane rides to the public, he said.
”That was my first ride in a real airplane,” said Tony. “It was an ultralight (aircraft) — a lawnmower with wings. That made me happy. I loved it. As soon as we got home, I was looking around the area for flight schools. I took my first lesson on my 14th birthday. That was a very good treat.”
Tony began taking lessons at the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport in Robbinsville Township. He trained at the airport for two years, earning his student pilot’s license at 16.
”You have to take a bunch of flights with the instructor (to earn a student pilot’s license),” Tony explained. “You have to do some cross-country flights, which means you have to fly more than 50 nautical miles (on a trip). That’s from here (the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport) to the airport at Millville.”
When his instructor thought he was ready, Tony said, he was allowed to take off and land solo three times. At that point, he was ready to move on to the next step — earning a private pilot’s license.
Earning a private pilot’s license requires the student to log at least 40 hours in the air — with and without an instructor, he said. He met that threshold last month. He passed an oral exam and then flew in the plane with an instructor, who gave him passing marks.
For Tony, the appeal of flying is the freedom to go wherever he wants to go, as slow or as fast as he wants to get there. Flying also allows one to see things from a different perspective — up in the air, he said.
”The first time I flew over Lawrenceville, it was really nice,” he said. “I could see my house and I could see my school. That was really fun. Since I got my pilot’s license, I haven’t had a chance to take my parents (for a ride in an airplane).”
Tony will have plenty of chances to take his parents for a ride in the car, however. Because he has a learner’s permit, he must be accompanied by a licensed driver who has been driving for at least two years and who is at least 21. Tony also is limited to the number of people he can take with him in the car — unlike in an airplane.
The fledgling pilot said he also enjoys driving a car, which he said is “mandatory these days” to get around the community. It’s also more challenging, he said, adding that “if you take your hands off the steering wheel, something bad is going to happen.”
He added, “I have just begun driving, but I have noticed there are a lot more bad drivers than there are bad pilots. I feel safer up there (in the air), definitely,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tony is looking forward to obtaining an instrument flight rating, which requires more flying time and instruction. Then he would be able to earn money flying the planes that tow advertising banners over the New Jersey beaches during the summer, he said.
And although he is still in high school and has not yet decided on a career path, Tony said he would like to attend Mercer County Community College because it offers aviation courses.

