Taste of Flight : My First Flight Experience

Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been , and there you will always long to return.

- Leonardo da Vinci

I enter the aviation school and meet the pilot I will be flying with, Mike . " Is it just you? Usually people bring their family or spouse." " Nope, just me." " I didn't think anyone would sign up to fly at 9 am on a Sunday.." "Well, I didn't want to give myself any time to be nervous today."  " You don't need to be nervous. I'm not nervous and it's my first time flying too!" He smiles wide. I laugh.

We head out to the tarmac . As we walk past the planes they begin to decrease in size. We get to the  smallest plane on the lot , just big enough fit the two of us. Mike stops . My eyes widen. " THIS ONE?!" Mike laughs. " That is exactly the reaction I was expecting from you ." I climb up and strap in. We latch the windows , put on our headsets , Mike hits a couple buttons in the cockpit , and we are off. We go down the runway and before I know it we are taking off. After a few minutes my stomach begins to churn as we hit some slight turbulence. "Don't worry this will pass" he tells me.

Soon we are coasting smoothly. I look below. The clear blue water is sparkling. I see the tops of adobe roofs, trees, and tiny cars below. I look at them any controls in front of me and watch as Mike flips things on and off and pulls levers to make small adjustments . He tells me to put my hands on the steering wheel. He explains that turning to the right or left steers the plane but pulling the steering wheel out allows you to make the plane go up or down. A skilled pilot, however, makes the ascend or descend seamless . He asks if I get scared easily and before I could answer he pulls the steering wheel out and down and then up quickly . The sudden turbulence makes my stomach flip. " That is what happens if you didn't do it properly. Man-made turbulence. " I grasp my heart and ,once I catch my breath ,I laugh.  After  a short time of letting me hold the wheel in front of me, Mike tells me he will take back the controls, though I suspect he had them the whole time.

Soon we are flying over swampland. It looks like dark green cotton candy is covering the water below. After a few minutes , we turn around and begin to head back. Mike offers to open the door and allow me to conquer several scary things at once: flying, skydiving , and scuba diving . I tell him maybe next time. He holds up his hand to cut me off as the dispatcher begins giving him landing instructions. We approach the runway and slowly descend. I barely feel the plane touch down. We high five and exit the plane.

When I explained to someone that I would I would be going flying even though I was terrified , his response caught me off-guard. He said , " It sounds like you are braver than you realize . You admit to being scared of things but do them anyway. Courage is defined, not as the absence of fear ,but the ability to act despite the presence of fear. "

My wings have always existed. What has changed is that  now I have learned how to fly.