SUMMER

PROGRAMS 2025

SUMMER

PROGRAMS 2025

Dong “James” Lee ’12 Solos

Dong “James” Lee ’12 completed his first solo flight successfully at Front Royal-Warren County Airport on December 11, 2011. To accomplish this and earn his solo “wings” at Randolph-Macon Academy, Lee had to complete three take-offs and three landings alone in a Cessna 172 airplane.  Although he had been close to soloing for about a week, Lee was still surprised when his flight instructor, Laura Abraham, told him he was ready.

“I didn’t expect to solo that day,” he said. “We stopped and she said, ‘You’re ready to solo,’ and she ditched me and the plane. There was no warning. I was pretty shocked no one was next to me.” As Abraham had expected, Lee handled it with no problem.

“James has been working very hard. Because he is diligent in his studies and didn’t want to miss class, he was one of my frequent weekend fliers,” she said. “He even had to maneuver around glider operations at the field [during his solo].”  She noted that in her nearly ten years as one of R-MA’s flight instructors, Lee is her first international flight student to solo.

Lee, who is from South Korea, came to Randolph-Macon Academy as a freshman because he wanted to learn to fly; his ultimate goal in life is to be a commercial airline pilot.  “When I fly, the scene is so pretty, relaxing, and calm,” he explained. “I don’t have to worry about anything except flying. College applications, studying, I don’t think about. I just fly.”

Lee is a member of the National Honor Society. In R-MA’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC), he is a cadet captain, with the position of Second Squadron Commander. Lee is on the varsity swim team and also played varsity soccer in the fall.

Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA), founded in 1892, is a college-preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12.  Students in grades 9-12 participate in R-MA’s 91st Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and have the option to participate in a unique flight program. R-MA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is located in Front Royal, VA.

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