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Wednesday, August 21, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Solo flight carries on tradition
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 4-7 P.M.
FRIDA
MEET THE
ARTISTS
The Sisters Saloon and
Ranch Grill outdoor patio will
host Sean Watkins (of Nickel
Creek) & The Bee Eaters on
Friday, August 23. Doors
open at 6 p.m., show starts at
7 p.m. The show is open to all
ages. The show also features
special guests Coyote Willow.
Tickets are $15 in advance
at www.bendticket.com and
will be $20 at the door, if
available.
Singer, songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist Sean
Watkins has long been
known for his work as one-
third of the Grammy Award-
winning Nickel Creek and,
more recently, for helming,
with sister Sara, the itiner-
ant, genre-hopping Watkins
Family Hour ensemble.
In the last year he has
more assertively 4 and
impressively 3 taken on the
role of solo artist. <What To
Fear= is a follow-up to 20149s
acclaimed <All I Do Is Lie,=
which had been Watkins9
first solo effort in nearly a
decade, 10 years that had
been jammed with collabora-
tive projects and a herculean
amount of touring.
On his own, Watkins
displays tremendous warmth
and soulfulness as a singer, a
refreshing candor and humor
as a lyricist, and prodigious
skill as an arranger. And he
doesn9t merely stick with the
familiar: On <What To Fear,=
he bolsters an acoustic lineup
with a rock rhythm section,
bringing drama and drive to
these new tracks while keep-
ing intact the emotional inti-
macy of all the stories he is
telling.
Sisters Saloon is located
at 190 E. Cascade Ave. in
Sisters.
EST. 1995
Refreshments!
Kristi Moomey
Acclaimed musician
to play Sisters Saloon
10% of sales donated
to Breast Cancer Casting For Recovery
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sean Watkins & the Bee Eaters will play on the patio at Sisters Saloon on
Friday, August 23.
On his 16th birthday,
Ryan Ilmberger carried out
an unusual family tradition:
He soloed in an airplane.
Like his father on his 16th
birthday, Ilmberger flew an
airplane by himself before he
could drive a car by himself.
Two years ago, the
Ilmberger family was liv-
ing in the San Francisco
Bay Area when they learned
about the Flight Science
program at Sisters High
School (SHS). After visiting
Sisters, and learning about
the unique collaboration with
Outlaw Aviation at the Sisters
Airport, the family made the
move to Sisters to allow Ryan
to participate in the program.
Ryan set a goal to solo on
his 16th birthday, the mini-
mum age required by the
FAA to solo an airplane. After
a few practice touch-and-go
landings in Outlaw Aviation9s
Cessna 172 with Sam Monte,
Certificated Flight Instructor
(CFI), Monte felt Ilmberger
was ready to perform the
maneuvers by himself.
<Are you confident you
can do this?= Monte asked
him.
<I felt nervous, but I
told Sam 8Yes, I9m ready9,=
Ilmberger recalled. <The
plane felt so light with just
me in it, so I had to use more
flaps than usual to get the
plane on the ground. But it
was the smoothest landing
I9ve ever done. I just didn9t
want to bounce, with so many
people watching.=
<Ryan is good at setting
Maurice Brown
Antler & Buffalo Hide Artist
311 E. CASCADE AVE. | 541-549-4251 | OPEN WED.-MON., 10 AM-5 PM, CLOSED TUES.|
FACEBOOK.COM/ANTLERARTSINC
PHOTO PROVIDED
Ryan Ilmberger, left, receives congratulations from instructor Sam Monte.
goals, and then putting in the
work to achieve them,= said
Monte.
<For a 16-year-old to
solo on his birthday is a rare
achievement. It9s a true test
of character. We are very
proud of Ryan9s dedication,=
said Walt Lasecki, CFI with
Outlaw Aviation.
Ilmberger has taken the
Flight Science classes at
SHS, and participates in the
weekly group ground classes
hosted by Outlaw Aviation
for students preparing to take
the FAA written exam. There
are currently 20 SHS students
in the Outlaw flight training
program.
Carrying on a passion for
aviation, Ilmberger intends
to pursue a career as a pilot,
and become a CFI. His father,
Steve, is a professional pilot,
flying large helicopters for
ODF fire suppression, and a
CFI. Years ago on their sec-
ond date, Steve introduced
Ryan9s mother, Lonnie, to
aviation with a helicopter ride
to an island.
<There were no doors on
that helicopter! But it was
fun. Aviation has been a big
part of our life together since
that day,= said Lonnie.
Although early in his
flight training, Ilmberger has
already received a scholar-
ship from The Roundhouse
Foundation to help fund his
flight lessons.
<We are so very grateful
for this program offered at a
public school, and scholar-
ships available to students,=
said Lonnie.