Father and son share love of the skies

When the father has his head in the clouds, you can pretty much expect the son to not want to keep his feet on the ground.

Both the son and father, Joel and Robert Ridder of Albemarle County, respectively, share a love for the wild blue up yonder, a love that has made for one a living and for the other a hobby.

Joel, a 17-year-old rising senior at Western Albemarle High School, last week officially obtained his federally approved freedom license to fly a private airplane after a two-year course of study at the Charlottesville Flight Center, which is at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. A part-time employee at the school, he followed closely the training schedule devised by his instructors.

Born to fly

His dad understands Joel’s need to fly.

“It’s one of those things that just gets into your blood,” said Robert Ridder, a former US Air and Piedmont Airlines pilot who now flies an Airbus 320 for USA 3000 airlines. “You get the bug. When you fly, you’re completely involved and you get into a flow. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great job and a great way to make a living, if you can.”

Mr. Ridder’s love for his job rubbed off on the younger Mr. Ridder.

“My dad took me up with him when I was young and I guess I just really got into it,” said Joel. “It’s fun. It’s hard to explain what it feels like. It’s like a sense of freedom, I guess.”

Flying isn’t driving, however. It may appear easy, but it requires coordination of hands and feet to manipulate ailerons, flaps, elevators, and rudder to control lift, drag, pitch and yaw.

The way a plane handles and the effort it takes to maintain steady flight made Joel’s first time at the controls a different experience than he expected.

“It was harder than I thought it would be because there was a lot more to do,” he admitted. “Flying is like riding a roller coaster in some ways, except that I don’t really like roller coasters. Flying is different because you’re in control of what you’re doing. You’re not just riding it, you’re directing it.”

Soloing — heading up in the sky on your own, sans instructor — was another exciting experience.

“I was kind of nervous. It was weird to be alone the first time. But it also felt better because the plane flew better. There was less weight. It’s a [Cessna] 152 so it’s a small plane and there was a lot more room, too. I was also pretty confident because the last time we flew together [the instructor] didn’t touch the controls.”

Dream to follow

Mr. Ridder loves his job. Joel hopes to say the same thing, as the father’s job has become the son’s dream.

“I want to continue to train and go from one step to the next,” he said, noting that he can earn instrument flight ratings and multi-engine ratings. “I’d like to fly for a living some day. I think it would be a great job to have.”