Dear Editor:

It does my heart good to see yet another young person from Richmond Hill reach the first major milestone on the journey to becoming a pilot.

This is Brandon Sims, son of my friend Myra Sims. Brandon is one of several Richmond Hill young people who have soloed this summer as they work toward earning their private pilot certificates.

Brandon comes from a remarkable family of aviators. His oldest brother, Hunter (26), is a pilot for Gulfstream. His brother Garrett (24) flies for a private company. Brandon (20) joined them today by completing his first solo flight. Their father serves as a chief test pilot for Gulfstream, and their grandfather retired as a demonstration pilot for Cessna. There are even more pilots throughout the family.

Perhaps just as impressive, all three brothers are graduates of Richmond Hill High School. It’s also my understanding that Brandon has inspired a couple of his former high school classmates to pursue aviation careers of their own.

Congratulations, Brandon! Wishing you blue skies, smooth landings, and thousands of safe hours in the air. The future of aviation is in good hands.

Mark Bolton, Richmond Hill, Georgia