Episode 12: My First Solo in the Marchetti SF-260

12/01/20 • 43 min

Taking Flight with Michael "Rocket" Blackstone

In this episode, Michael takes you back to 1990, when his father soloed him at at the Chino Airport on April 15, at age 17, in the Marchetti SF-260C. On this spring day, Michael and his dad shared an experience that very few lucky pilots get to share together. This historic moment marks when Michael's father passes the torch of flying from one generation to the next. Michael soloed in 1990, but he has been airborne ever since. It has now been over 30 years since that beautiful day in Chino took place that sparked a career in aviation flying jets for a major airline, just like his father.

Previous Episode

Episode 11: The Making of Air Combat USA

In this episode, Michael takes you back to 1986, the year of TopGun and shares how Air Combat USA was created. From the time Michael was a child, he and his father loved fighter aircraft. Michael's passion for Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) comes out, as he shares what it was like to teach aerial combat for over 4,000 hours in the Marchetti SF-260! 3-2-1 Fights On!

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Episode 13: My First "Solos" at American Airlines

In this episode, Michael takes you back to his first solo flights at American Airlines as a new hire in 1999. Michael started his career at age 25 as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727, then transitioned to the Boeing 757/767 fleet where he became a First Officer and flew his first 'solo' with his father as the Captain of his first trip on the line. Then Michael became a Captain of the Boeing 737-800 and flew his first 'solo' flight as a Captain on December 16, 2015.