On Friday, 25 September 2025, the skies above the Darling Downs carried a new voice — that of 15-year-old Joe Phillips, who flew his first solo flight out of Nobby. His instructor, Dave Donald, was there on the tarmac to offer a well-earned handshake and congratulations.
Joe’s journey has been propelled by an Airservices Flying Scholarship through the Recreational Aviation Australia Scholarship Program, which he secured earlier this year. With that support, he has been able to push ahead with training at the Lone Eagle Flying School, edging ever closer to his RAAus Pilot Certificate and Cross Country endorsement.
Speaking with his instructors after landing, Joe said the solo flight has only fuelled his determination to chase his dream of one day working the skies as a commercial crop-dusting pilot.
A huge congratulations to Joe on a day he will never forget and the first of many milestones in his flying story!
