Pilot lesson No. 1: Check gas before taking off

[May 30, 2009]  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- A retired Air Force colonel with decades of experience as a flight instructor gave one of his students a hands-on lesson in a key principle of flying:

Don't run out of gas. Al Uhalt of Colorado Springs made a bumpy but safe landing in a field Thursday when the single-engine Aviat Husky he and a student were flying ran out of fuel near the end of a 45-minute lesson.

Neither Uhalt nor the student, 16-year-old Kyle Sundman, was injured and the plane was undamaged.

Uhalt says he's embarrassed. Kyle's grandfather, Jim Young, who owns the plane, was flying behind them. He says he didn't worry because he knew Uhalt was experienced and the plane was rugged.

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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com

[Associated Press]

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