First Solo Cross Country Flight

[@brianmcninch9764]

Great job. You do very well on your radio work with ATC!!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!

[@아일린-f3v]

Today is my cross country flight and I was nervous until I found your video. Thank you ☺️

[@carlcollins8932]

As a private pilot this is the best video I have seen. ATC read backs are on point. Lol , I have commercial pilot friends that mess up ATC read backs you got skills girl

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thanks so much!

[@emilyanne3910]

Yay!! How exciting. You sound so poised and confident on the radios. Well done!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you again for your kind and encouraging words :-)

[@caseykelso1]

Never fast-forward the takeoff or landing.....never! That's why we watch these videos. The 2 most important parts of any flight vid

[@alorariddell4822]

I know this was a year ago, but great job Erin! I'm working towards my PPL in Socal and it's super motivating to see another young woman that reached this milestone. Coincidentally I flew over Lake Elsinore for the first time today and I frequent Ramona airport so it was super cool to see familiar places in your video. Best of luck to you!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!

[@jeanettekingsley3597]

Thank you for this video. I know it was two years ago so I’m sure you are already a commercial pilot. I just solo’d today and now I need to work on my XC. This video inspired me. You were on point with your radio commo! I wish I can be as articulate and calm as you!!

[@alanwelch7297]

My first cross country was in a Cessna 150 and I went to Ramona also. It was in 1971. Good job.

[@luquito90]

I'm about to start training for my PPL and I loved seeing all of your radio communication throughout this process--really helped me get a better idea of how it all works! Great video!

[@intramotion5029]

good luck!

[@johncoleman4084]

One of the finest student cross country that I have ever watched! Congrats! Very wonderful job!

[@coppi60]

Erin, thanks for taking us along on your first solo XC! You did a fantastic job, and I was impressed with your radio work. Keep it up, and I look forward to your next video adventure.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much! I just passed my checkride today, looking forward to many more adventures!

[@gelexaida]

Oh I love the editing in this !! Congrats!!! ❤️

[@jessevincent7722]

Hi Erin, Great job on your first cross country solo!! 😊

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much Jesse! I appreciate it (-:

[@jessevincent7722]

You're very welcome Erin! I deeply appreciate aviation, and really enjoy seeing others appreciating aviation as well!! 😊

[@OurLandOutdoors]

I plan on starting my flight training for my PPL soon and I love watching videos that include all the ATC communications. Thanks for sharing this!

[@philipstubbs7399]

Did my flight training in Brooksville, FL and didn't have to talk to ATC even close to the amount of times you did. Fantastic radio work. You're going to be an amazing pilot.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thanks so much!

[@emmad290]

thinking about doing my flight training up there, how’d you like it?

[@lasallemom1]

My boys are just going to start lessons there. They are doing classes at PHSC and will go for flight lessons after school.

[@N1377J]

One of the best videos I've watched in a while.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!!

[@jtflypegasus]

Very impressive for a student pilot. And this was three years ago. She's probably a commercial pilot by now. Good job on your memorable solo cross country. Fly safe and fly often.

[@johnfranko7696]

You are an outstanding pilot. I just got my PPL in June and still struggle with flight following. You have it down so smoothly. Thank you for sharing, I hope you'll post more flights.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much! Congrats on your Private Pilot License, I’m sure you will get the hang of it. I will definitely keep on posting my flight journey

[@kimberlywentworth9160]

Great job, great on the radio. Your voice seems so young yet you nailed the radio.

[@AngelicaChu]

What an amazing job! About to do my solo cross country and yours is flawless. Your radios were on point. Keep up the beautiful work!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you, best of luck to you!

[@markanthonyboyce3723]

You are one heck of a pilot already. Perfect radio work. I'm very impressed.Looking forward to more postings from you.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!! It means a lot (:

[@lancehames6228]

Brilliant, really enjoyed watching, and when I was a student pilot many years ago I always struggled a little with ATC, you smashed it out of the park girl, well done indeed.

[@angelacase6484]

Congrats on your first solo xc! I just did my first one last week as well:)

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much Angela, congrats to you as well !!

[@909busa]

Hi Erin, I’m a licensed PPL and I envy your radio skills. Great job!

[@gucci_pilot]

You just impressed the hell out of this 40 year old student pilot based at KCRQ👍🏼

[@randall6890]

Congrats on your first solo to Romona! I’m from San Diego so this video hits home! ❤

[@DaddyRecon1]

Congratulations on your first solo, very awesome! Great radio work.!!💕🇺🇸✈️😎👍

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you!!

[@peterbarnes3121]

Wow! I am rooting for you. I had a friend who got his pilots license a little younger. By the time i met him he was already rated for instrument, multi-engine and was getting seat time with the big famous Oakland cargo air in the mid 1970s. If he could do it, I'm sure you can. No insult to Roman, my friend.

[@cqvlogs1400]

Yay was waiting on this after your first solo commented on your last video with my 2nd account, still looking forward to my first solo still hope to see more from your flight journey 💯🤘🏼

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much for your support! Cant wait for you to succeed in your first solo(-:

[@cqvlogs1400]

@@ErinNnekaLai update just finished my solo it was a success! 🙌🏽 video is up on my channel 🎉

[@thatsrich944]

That crazy SoCal airspace, and didn't even sound like a busy day, haha. Excellent example of your early expertise as a pilot. Also, congrats on the PPL per your update! Cheers!

[@kristendava4076]

I was looking for flight following radio comm videos and your video is one of the most helpful. I'm also so excited to see another woman of color in aviation. Keep going, cheering you on from the Bay Area!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!!

[@dalereed5852]

Is that a current CAP A/C? I don't see the CAP shield on the door so was wondering if you are a cadet. You must use Fore-Flight; I see a Sentry attached to your windshield. Good job.

[@Fullmetalseth]

Good stuff, I can't wait to get started on my training. Hope to see more!

[@TheUlrick]

Just about to do my first solo cross country. Im heading to Ramona too. This is a great video.

[@Paul355c]

Great temperament, discipline, radio work and focus. Congrats!

[@sokalsophia4687]

Woooooow. This was an excellent video!!! Love how you navigated the different towers, I look forward to soon do the same, working on my PPL

[@Howieman-1]

Congrats..I'm prepping for my cross country now..

[@benedictusaryasatya6761]

Great job Erin!! Im still working on my first solo xcountry as well currently… greetings from Nogales, AZ.

[@PastorKwangle]

You are awesome - thanks for posting! I'll be waiting for the next one!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!!

[@dbucciar]

Thanks for posting your flight Erin. I’m a student pilot with my solo cross-country coming up soon, so this was highly relevant! You did a nice job in the crazy So.Cal. airspace, hope I can do as well out here in Colorado. Just curious if you used the video to review with your CFI.

[@F22raptor46]

This is so cool! I'm about to do my Solo XC probably next week too! Kinda nervous but super excited

[@peterkim2638]

GREAT JOB!!!!! (nice editing as well)

[@munrys]

Erin Great Job!! Your radio work, and navigation is better than some high time pilots. Your going to be a great pilot!! You would make a good CFI.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!

[@aireohh]

I'm currently flying out of KLGB, working on my cross country to Ramona as well. Your communication skills are on point.

[@Kingovcali8667]

Great job and it is great to see another SOCAL pilot 👩🏾‍✈️ and you landed at my school Palomar

[@andrewsng7758]

congrats on your first cross country! definitely well landed! being a professional ame, i definitely see your big passion in this industry!

[@Dacre357]

Excellent job Erin, you're going to make a great professional pilot. Best of luck to you on your journey.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!

[@josephellis2933]

Wow great job. Just wandering at 8:09 why you expedited the runway so fast onto that taxiway instead of taking the taxi lines off the runway.

[@toddcianciulli921]

Wow. Very impressive. I am also a student and just starting my XC portion of training this coming week. Not gonna lie when I say that watching this was a bit intimidating for me. Looking forward to the journey and hope I can do as well as you.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

You got this! Best of luck to you

[@freddyfreeloader1200]

Congratulations! I remember that first solo cross country.

[@Bee-mb5th]

i get so happy watching female pilots fly i wanna become one too like so bad u inspire me so much thank u so much

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Im so flattered to be your inspiration, let me know if you have any questions I’ll be glad to help!

[@Bee-mb5th]

@@ErinNnekaLai thank uu ur so sweet

[@linotmike859]

Hey, good job you were awesome, mine is coming up tomorrow and I was just watching videos and ran into yours, learned a point or two from your video so thanks and good luck to you.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Hi, thank you so much! Wishing you the best luck tomorrow(:

[@EAF_Visuals]

Just listening to this helped me what to say and expect from ATC. Flying out of SNA is so fast pace 🥴

[@kimberlywentworth9160]

Yep, I am learning out of that airport. Yes, It is intense. They talk so fast.

[@EAF_Visuals]

@@kimberlywentworth9160 a friend of mine works at that tower and I asked him if saying student pilot makes a difference and he said nah they like to make us nervous 💀 dope! What school?

[@christopherhadsell9049]

I was able to understand everything on the radio--learned some things!

[@roderickbowes2482]

Loved watching this -- confident lady pilot -- you're going to make a super JUMBO Pilot one day -- well done .

[@rosemesnard]

Excellent! Great video! Thank you. You’re an amazing young lady!🌹

[@Dan007UT]

Nice job. Look fwd to seeing you get your PPL!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you! It’s coming up very soon

[@korazy]

Excellent ATC work!! I hope to be as confident and precise as you when I begin my pilot journey

[@rabitrouh]

Lets go! May I ask what are your plans later on? The good old CFI onto the airlines thing or something different?

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Yes you’re correct! My dream career is becoming an airline pilot (:

[@rabitrouh]

Do you have any preferences as to what you’ll do to build up to that yet? Like CFI or pretty much anything else? I’m trying to ask as many people as I can to see all the different alternatives that exist

[@ErinNnekaLai]

@@rabitrouh As of now, I am planning to build my hours by being a CFI. I am currently majoring in aviation at San Jose State University, so luckily for me R-ATP exists at a Part 141 Flight School so I do not have to build the 1500 hours needed as an ATP. Let me know if you have any more questions!

[@rabitrouh]

Oh R-ATP, didn’t know that was a thing, nice! I guess starting young can only be a good thing. I personally want to just enjoy flying for a time before making a carreer out of it, we’ll see how it goes! Best of luck Erin!

[@STOPsignforRT]

Don’t EVER give up on your hopes and dreams of becoming a Professional Pilot. You have the talent, skills, and dedication to achieve this goal. Your videos fully demonstrate this. Maybe someday, I’ll be a passenger on one of your flights that you will captain. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy your journey and videos. Cheers 🥂

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much! It really means a lot, I hope to fly you and future passengers someday!

[@toneysanders]

I know nothing about being a pilot so this is not critique. Just simple curiosity. One point in your video I noticed some clouds. Hard to tell on camera. Did they make you nervous? Again not a critique just curious. You did awesome! As mentioned before your radio communication is awesome.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Hi! Thank you so much! I wasn’t nervous because I was avoiding the clouds the whole way through as I was flying by Visual Flight Rules, so I was well above or below the clouds. Since I am now an Instrument Rated Private Pilot, I can now fly through clouds from my experience in lessons and trainings (-:

[@av8rshane491]

You sure don’t sound like a student pilot!😊wish I had more students like you. You sound like a pro.

[@StrictlySports]

bro repeated the altimeter 💀

[@josefrometa6941]

Hi Erin. Great job on both flying and communicating with ATC.

[@marklines4396]

Really enjoyed this!

[@roflopoulos1633]

Excellent radio calls. Great landings!

[@CaptMoo]

You will be one hek of a captain. You are so confident in your videos, and you always do an awesome job. Congrats

[@ErinNnekaLai]

That’s so nice of you to say, thank you very much!!

[@patrickomalley7162]

Very cool. I"m about to do my cross country flights. Loved it. Did you stop flying after this?

[@alexspeaks4411]

You're amazing, drastically better than I am. Great job!

[@aidanpeck4247]

Did you fly with CAP? I noticed the aircraft paint scheme looks like it.

[@hundreddollarhamburger9380]

You’re a natural! Keep up the good work!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

thank you!!

[@dailydosedetermination]

your comms talk is shockingly great! This seems to be the worst of my abilities, any tips or helpful aids in practicing outside of the cockpit?

[@multitieredinvestor183]

What is modified straight-in approach? I guess beacon is new buzzword for transponder.

[@CerebralDad]

Great work. I’m getting my ppl this summer.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you! Best of luck to you

[@gtm624]

I bet your a commercial pilot by now. If I was on frequency I wouldn’t expect student pilot. Excellent job with everything and your a natural on the radios. I’m not quite that fast and the one who’s had to say….I’m sorry can you repeat that a little slower please. Lol. I can’t wait for my first solo Cc. I have a little ways to go yet.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Hi, thank you so much! It’s so funny because I actually just passed my commercial checkride yesterday! You got this, keep up your work!!

[@tanks0015]

I love being a pilot but my only weakness is taking to ATC (cuz im scared/nervous) and REMEMBERING STUFF

[@wesd3742]

Amazing, you will go far. Very impressive. keep grinding

[@alihkassem]

Must be a great learning experience as a student in the SoCal area. They send you through so many comms. A great advantage to have

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Definitely! SoCal approach is pretty busy, so I’m glad to have gotten some good practice in

[@aerofun918]

Amazing video! Congrats! 💪🏾✈️

[@Ashleyblin]

HII ERIN THIS IS SO COOL SO HAPPY FOR U 🥰🥰🥰 I miss you & I hope ur doing well heheh

[@ErinNnekaLai]

ASHLEY )': love you so much!! i miss you more hope youre doing amazing

[@bogatua9609]

Outstanding. Good Job!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much!

[@HondaGoldwingGL1800]

Retired pilot here and it appears that you are doing very good. You havent had a video up in 6 months...what is not going on. Would like to see how your progress is going. After you get your private...get your instrument, then your commercial, then your instrument. After you get your instrument, you can instruct and pick up a little money while you go for your multi and ATP.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

My apologies for not posting recently, I have been meaning to post a video but I'll be happy to explain my situation. I am now an Instrument Rated pilot, I passed my checkride 2 days ago. I have been on a time crunch to completing my instrument training after receiving my PPL before I move up from SoCal to NorCal in a few months for college. Alongside my first year of college, flight trainings, finals, I have not had the leisure time to fly to places that I enjoy or upload videos.

[@Cheranetube]

Very professional. Nice work.

[@jeeplife5262]

Great radio work! Especially for your first cross country. Did your Sentry fall off during flight? 😂. Seems like it moves around during[ the different segments..

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thanks! And I just repositioned my sentry - good eye!

[@mistercohen]

Amazing radio work and flying. I'm sure you have your license by now. Congratulations.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much, I am now an instrument rated pilot !

[@nealhere]

Dang it was like a flight in the ifr system. Good job with vectors in low vis All the best neal SW Fla

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much! (:

[@spy4269]

I’m about to do my first cross country and I’m not confident with talking to ATC. I understand mostly what they tell me to do but I can’t remember what they say to repeat back. Any tips on how I can fix that I have no idea

[@tellmethepreset7742]

Practice

[@BrianRhodes9763]

Nicely done, that was a busy flight. You made it sound like you have been flying for a while.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you! Learning more and more each day

[@BrianRhodes9763]

@@ErinNnekaLai Never stop learning.

[@manifestgtr]

Holy moley, it’s handoff city over there in socal huh? Also, is this a former civil air patrol Cessna? The only other Cessnas I’ve seen with these types of liveries are civil air patrol.

[@amirim5475]

Hi from japan. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful first solo video. COOL 😎 I want to be a pilot too and still saving money for it. This video is my motivation for that 👩‍✈️ I’m looking forward to watch the next video!

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Hi Amiri! Thank you for watching, I'm so glad I am able to motivate and inspire people who watch my videos! Best of luck to you (:

[@ibiro868]

I like how you announce that you're a student pilot. I was always too embarrassed to say it

[@bartgoins1782]

I was in your position 30 years ago, and I still don't sound that good talking with ATC. Great job.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me

[@xillerrodriguez]

Well done on the cross country! I hope your instructor is teaching you that if you can't hear ATC instructions (13:00, traffic alert stepped on), say so

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Got it! Appreciate the tip

[@randallbrown229]

nice job with Socal... You will make it.

[@hpkdomn]

Killed it on comms.

[@samcowell2768]

GREAT comms i didn't see you using VOR's only issue i had

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you! I was a student pilot at the time, but I am definitely using VORs now that I am training for my instrument rating

[@EpicureanLifeTV]

CONGRATULATIONS 💚

[@NYCRONFX]

Hey we need another video you did great! your vid motivates me just began flight school and I’m 16 are you in the airlines now?👀

[@diegojon8267]

Very nice! Good luck.

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you!

[@mitchwinder1204]

Wow. Fantastic job. Subscribed.

[@CSAZB]

CONGRATULATIONS.................from Lisbon - Portugal

[@ErinNnekaLai]

Thank you so much !!