As he flew through the air during his first solo flight, Matt O’Donnell knew he was one step closer to achieving his longstanding goal: receiving his pilot license.

On August 11, the Pascack Valley senior took his first solo flight out of Essex County Airport.

“It was exhilarating because all of my hard work had finally come to fruition,” Matt said.

O’Donnell has always been interested in flying planes, but he did not pursue it until the summer before his junior year. Since then, he has spent countless hours preparing and practicing to receive his private pilot license.  There is a forty-hour minimum requirement for logged flight time, and within these forty hours, a flying student must complete a minimum of twenty hours of flight training with an instructor and at least ten hours of solo flying.

However, no matter how much time he had spent preparing, O’Donnell was nervous to be in a plane without an instructor present.

“It was scary to be all by myself in the plane,” said O’Donnell.

Matt intends to receive his private pilot license in the upcoming months after he completes his cross-country training.

After high school, O’Donnell hopes to take part in the Air Force ROTC, which is a college program that prepares young men and women to become leaders in the Air Force.  Once he completes this program, he hopes to receive a job flying in the Air Force.