One day in October, my grandpa brought over a newspaper clipping that advertised an event called the "Young Eagles Flight Rally." All youths from ages 9 to 17 were invited to come for a free airplane ride at the airport!
We arrived early Saturday morning. My parents signed me up, and then we headed to "ground school." I half-way paid attention as an experienced pilot explained all the parts of the airplane, and how to fly. A little while later, my name was called over a loud speaker. I immediately reported to the desk, and then was led to my plane. I crawled up front into the co-pilot's seat, and two other girls sat in the back. While we waited I struck up a conversation with them. They were sisters, and this would be their very first flight too. One girl whispered, "I'm terrified!" The pilot took his seat. "Any questions?" he asked. From the back came a reply, "Are we all going to die?" "No!" the pilot answered reassuringly.
And then we were off. It was wonderful! I enjoyed gazing over the beautiful countryside--the view was almost breathtaking.
About half-way through, the pilot asked me, "Do you want to try taking the controls a minute?" "Sure!" I replied. The girls in the back were not sure that that was such a great idea, but I was thrilled!
Suddenly I realized I really didn't know how to fly. For a moment I just held the plane steady, and we enjoyed the flight. But, then I guess unconsciously I decided it was too boring! Before we knew it we were in a steep climb headed straight toward a cloud formation.
Needless to say, the pilot quickly took the controls back away from me. Soon I started to feel a little funny. Could it be possible for one to get airsick on one of these things? I'm sure I would have been fine if it wasn't for the aerobatic maneuvers I had tried to lead us through. But to make a long story short, we all survived! Before long, my feet were back on solid ground. It was a wonderful feeling.
We arrived early Saturday morning. My parents signed me up, and then we headed to "ground school." I half-way paid attention as an experienced pilot explained all the parts of the airplane, and how to fly. A little while later, my name was called over a loud speaker. I immediately reported to the desk, and then was led to my plane. I crawled up front into the co-pilot's seat, and two other girls sat in the back. While we waited I struck up a conversation with them. They were sisters, and this would be their very first flight too. One girl whispered, "I'm terrified!" The pilot took his seat. "Any questions?" he asked. From the back came a reply, "Are we all going to die?" "No!" the pilot answered reassuringly.
And then we were off. It was wonderful! I enjoyed gazing over the beautiful countryside--the view was almost breathtaking.
About half-way through, the pilot asked me, "Do you want to try taking the controls a minute?" "Sure!" I replied. The girls in the back were not sure that that was such a great idea, but I was thrilled!
Suddenly I realized I really didn't know how to fly. For a moment I just held the plane steady, and we enjoyed the flight. But, then I guess unconsciously I decided it was too boring! Before we knew it we were in a steep climb headed straight toward a cloud formation.
Needless to say, the pilot quickly took the controls back away from me. Soon I started to feel a little funny. Could it be possible for one to get airsick on one of these things? I'm sure I would have been fine if it wasn't for the aerobatic maneuvers I had tried to lead us through. But to make a long story short, we all survived! Before long, my feet were back on solid ground. It was a wonderful feeling.
The pilot asked us "Any of you want to be pilots now?" None of us gave a definite answer, but we all were really appreciative for the chance to experience the joys of flying for the first time ever!
I don't know if a career in aviation is exactly the thing for me, but maybe I'll just take up flying model planes with remote controls. We'll see.
I don't know if a career in aviation is exactly the thing for me, but maybe I'll just take up flying model planes with remote controls. We'll see.