Before my first solo last year, I thought confidence was something you had to feel before you flew. I believed you needed to wake up that morning with certainty, calmness, and self-belief before ever touching the controls alone. But it doesn’t work like that. Confidence in aviation rarely shows up ahead of time. It doesn’t tap you on the shoulder during preflight or settle in while you’re doing run-ups. In reality, your true confidence starts the moment your instructor steps