Westerners living in or visiting Bali think the Balinese parents are irresponsible because they allow their children to ride bikes on main roads in the age of about nine years, some even as young as five - untrained old passenger passenger helmet or driving license. Well, everyone knows today's children are fitter, faster, healthier and more valuable than children of previous generations - so why not indulge with adult toys
But even they were surprised to hear of a child named Indonesian Rexy? who took a single Cessna prop plane four seats in air from John Wayne International Airport in May 2010 at the age of eight and flew for his first time for an hour in some of the busiest in space airline in the world and got the highest award of his flight instructor that day - "you fly better than many commercial pilots are in these light aircraft"
"Ground Control, Cessna C172 indicative of call 1234 RV parked at the entrance of the NZ taxiway request permission to take off "came the confident young voice on the airways. The ground controller was clearly surprised by the young child's voice squawking in his headphones. "Repeat that Cessna C172 1234 RV, which again is your current position, you filed a flight plan?"
The instructor answers this time and repeats the information Rexy gave the flight controller.
Rexy picks up the story from here. It seems that this is engraved in the brains of young boys.
"Ground Control now recognizes our presence with" John Wayne airport control the Cessna 1234 RV requesting taxi to the 19R of the active track for straight start. "I have now come back on air and repeat the instructions back to Ground Control to show I heard and understood. "
" I push the throttle to full thrust gas as we begin to move forward, accelerating as we move further along the track of 1700 meters. At 60 knots / hour, I pulled on the handle direction and the track begins to disappear; the land drops away as the angle of the front of the aircraft climbs at a rate of 500 'per nautical mile for the next five minutes until we reach a height of 2400'. Boy it feels very good. I'm actually flying for real now. "
" I followed the instructions to the letter. Control of an aircraft is an amazing experience. The sky in this part of California is real busy with five other major commercial airports, including LAX, within 20 miles of John Wayne. I could not control my excitement "
" In time, I felt like an eagle on my territory .; flying over my school and see where we lived. Landing, however, was much more difficult. Several flights later, I felt really got the hang of it and ever since I got really hooked on the flight. "
Rexy said he is ahead of schedule, never missing a mission and is doing quite well. for a one-hour flying lesson, it must pass not only a mission but get 100% in three assignments in a row! Since it was in Bali, he himself bagged another three hour flight back to California. His qualities are always near or at the top of his school and often in the top in the state of California for his year. What is missing are the sports that would otherwise enjoy back in California, as little league baseball and horse playing polo.
Rexy is a wire, 1.5m, mixed Indonesian-American child 33 kg of ten today. The first half of his life he lived in Puri Gading Solo and being supported there by his grandparents while his parents were working away. By its fifth birthday his parents decided his schooling should be mostly in California. For the last year, since his father retired, his time was divided more evenly between the two countries. And thanks to the effort he and his father puts in his home education, it works remarkably well for Rexy.
When asked what he thinks about himself, Indonesian or American? it responds directly "These days, I usually think of myself as an American, especially when I'm in the United States, because I'm an American citizen, and most of my recent life has been in the United States . But when I'm in Indonesia, I think of myself as Indonesian. I feel that I belong in both places, the two companies. I am happy where I am 'cos I such good friends and wonderful people who take good care of me, especially my mother and my father. "
" what has been your biggest challenge so far? "
" my father said that I spent my "years of layers" Indonesia. I moved to the United States with his father just before my fifth birthday. It was very difficult at first. at that time, I spoke little Indonesian and English. So kindergarten starting in California was hard because I had to learn English very quickly. I felt that I could express myself by drawing pictures of everything I was doing and I saw what really developed my art skills. "
Finally, I can not resist asking him how he came to take the flight.
In the history of the air war there is no more famous man Manfred von Richthofen, World War I ace fighter pilot from Germany, known to most of we as the "red Baron", who shot a narcotic had eighty enemies between 1915 and April 21, 1918, when he was shot down over France and killed at the age of 25 in his famous fighter red Albatross.
As the Baron, that boy is not boastful. He is a young man self-assured commitment, industrious, modest and even that is easy to get to know. It is very generous to other and the time he spends with them, always charming, encouraging, and sometimes playing jokes. No wonder my eight year old son, girl is so in love. This boy would do proud parent!