Trichardt teen takes off in a helicopter in solo flight

Up in the air is where Richard Ingram (16) wants to go, and with hours and a goal of making a future career as an instructor, he took his first solo flight on April 28.

Growing up, Richard gained his love for helicopters through the stories told by his father, Maverick Hammond, who specialises in armed forces and security.

Richard knew for his father to take him seriously, he needed to do all his research and get his ducks in a row before approaching Maverick with the idea of joining a flight school to become a commercial pilot.

“I always wanted to be that guy in the helicopter that flies in the AC/DC videos. When you hear my dad and the stories he would tell of his experiences in helicopters and how they work; that’s how I grew a passion and love for it,” said Richard.

He approached Maverick two years ago with the idea.

“I asked him if he was sure about it and he surprised me. He told me he had done the research and had started communicating with a flight school in Port Elizabeth,” said Maverick.

The flight school also advised Richard, a Grade 11 learner at EduPro Private School, that to assist him with his theory and practical assessments he would need to change his subjects to physical science, maths, geography and biology.

Richard was enrolled at Helivate Helicopter Services in Krugersdorp with Hayley Cumming, Helivate’s CEO, as his instructor.

It only took Richard four months to do his first solo from when he did his level two class medical, which is a requirement, in January.

“I go every Saturday to Krugersdorp. They teach you about the helicopter, how it works, what are the requirements to fly, how it physically flies, the restrictions of flying and how it would work when you are flying commercially,” said Richard.

His next step was to fly and hover a solo four-element circuit at 800 feet in the air. Richard described his first solo as a daydream he had to snap out.

“It felt unreal,” he said.

He can qualify for his private pilot’s license at 50 hours or more. Currently, he is at 27 hours.

Maverick described his son’s achievement as wonderful and said, “We invest in our children and support them, and we are privileged to send him out there to fulfil his dream. When our children excel, it is a pat on the shoulder.”

His mother, Melané, said, “I always say there is nothing like a perfect child, but Richard is pretty close. He is always exhilarating in everything he does. I am so proud of him.”

Besides the thrill of being in the air, Richard enjoys the adrenalin of being on two wheels, be it off-roading on his Kawasaki KX 250 2-stroke, mountain biking or just cruising on the road on his BMW GS310.

He is also an ardent gamer and software developer.

“Follow your dreams. Inspire others by doing what you love, doing what is best, and spending the time investing in yourself and your future,” said Richard.