Flyin’ High Today

Verdae goes sky-high…

Ever heard of Deal Mobs?  It’s a company that sends out coupons for local businesses.  You usually have 12 hours to respond and enough people have to buy a deal in order for everyone to get it.  I’ve gotten free meals, exercise vouchers and, well, a one hour flight training voucher!

This morning the sky was Carolina blue with a temperature of 41 degrees.  Winds were light and variable.  I drove to the airport with some trepidation and somehow convinced myself to not spend energy on being nervous which would take away from my ability to pay close attention to flight mechanics.

I’ve always wanted to fly. Not the big guys, just the small ones.  This one was a Diamond 20 which is a two seater bubble top cute little plane that was blown to and fro with the crosswinds when we landed.   Whenever a small plane goes overhead I always look up and follow it till it’s out of sight.  Last month in Canada Steve and I attended an airshow in Nova Scotia – I was mesmerized, especially when the planes went vertical and spiralled down close to the ground before levelling out.

So here we go!  My instructor is Alex from Norway.  Young guy, looks European, pleasant and with a VERY thick accent.  I had to listen very closely and still missed about 40% of what he said.  He didn’t mind repeating himself and seemed pleased to have a student who was genuinely interested in learning to fly.

We climbed to 2700 feet and flew south to Lake Oconee.  He dropped us purposely, probably just to see my reaction.  I took over the controls and soared like a bird on the wind currents.  We then did a tight 360 degrees and headed back north.  He simulated an emergency landing in a field where we dropped to 800 feet and approached the cows, plane nose to the incoming wind.  I never had so much fun in my life!

We circled downtown Athens, the University of Georgia, and my house.  We did a touch and go (landing practice) without incident and soared back up with engine (no “s” here) roaring – well more like purring, this was a really small plane.

Alex asked if I wanted to do another touch and go and then was reeled back in by the control tower – we had already gone over time.  We approached for our final landing, the crosswinds were pretty steady which created a bit of a challenge – so much so that my son and husband who were waiting for me asked if I landed the plane!!!  Apparently we hovered 2 to 3 ft over the runway for longer than expected.  Remarkably, I wasn’t scared, worried, frightened, just ecstatic.

So, one for the bucket list!  If Verdae hits the big time I’ll be flying more often.  Until then I’ll continue to dream the dream I had today.

Don’t have a picture to post…yet, check back later!