Can I Fly?
First, I have to say I really wish I had thought of this blogging thing back when I was first taking flying lessons. I would have had at least 50 posts just from flying. Secondly, I am going to apologize ahead of time this may be a long post. I really love flying!
About 12 years ago my father decided to buy a plane called a Citabria. When he was talking about flying it made my mind wander to thoughts of my own interest in flying. I started to wonder could I fly? Was this even a thing? So, as I do with all my curiosities, I went to the all-knowing Google and asked that very question. How can a paraplegic fly an airplane? My research led me to Southern Maine Aviation. It just so happened they had a plane with a hand control that would allow me to manipulate the rudder pedals and be able to fly. The hand control is actually a metal bar that attaches to the top of the pedals and then has a metal ring at the end. I put my arm through the ring to make the pedals back and forth or push up to apply the brakes. Along the way, we figured out that I could get into the plane by myself by using a short step ladder and then use the door and wing strut to lift myself into the seat.
Introductory Flight
I talked over the possibility of taking flying lessons with my parents and decided it couldn’t hurt to at least try an introductory flight. It was only 50 bucks so why not. I made an appointment and as they say, the rest is history.
My dad and I made the trip to Sanford Maine to take my flight and of course along the way I blew a tire on the interstate. So that 50 bucks ballooned to $600 but was still totally worth it. We eventually arrived at the airport on time and I met my instructor Richard Whicker. After signing the requisite waivers, it was time to take to the skies. Rich sat in the right seat and let me sit in the left. He went over the preflight with me and explained how everything was going to work. He would let me take the controls but would be there just in case.
The Feeling of Freedom
I had been practicing on Microsoft Flight Simulator which I later found out is a bad idea haha. It doesn’t truly simulate flying but does help familiarize you with the controls and what everything does. I was totally nervous, but Rich is an amazing pilot and has a way of relaxing a student with his calm controlled demeanor. As he likes to say, he has a strong sense of self-preservation haha. When we took off I distinctly remember that feeling of leaving the earth behind. As we flew around I had a complete sense of freedom. The earth looks as if everything is exactly where it was meant to be. It appears to be perfection. The beauty of that perspective is something that everyone should experience.
My First Landing
After about a half hour it was time to land. There is a thing that most students experience when they first start flying. It is called the fear of pavement. I had one hand on the controls and one hand firmly clutching Rich’s leg haha. I was afraid. With help from my trusted instructor, we made a textbook landing and I was now hooked on flying.
I Need to Figure Out How to Do That More!
I went home determined I was going to fly a lot more. I just had to figure out how to pay for it. They say flying is a rich man’s sport which isn’t true, but it is expensive. After some thought, I decided I would go for my commercial pilots’ license and use government funding to pay my way there. After securing funding and moving to southern Maine thanks to my Aunt Ingrid giving me a job, I was off and flying.
Flying Stories – My First Solo
Normally when a student pilot does their first solo flight, the instructor will decide ahead of time and then spring it on them when they come for a lesson. They don’t generally warn them it’s coming. We did mine a bit differently. Rich told me beforehand because he was inviting my parents to be there to see it happen. No pressure! Haha. The day arrived, and my parents met me at the airport. Yes, I was nervous again. Up to this point, I had Rich in the right seat to save me if I screwed up. This time it was going to be all on me. Before I took over Rich went once around “the patch” with me and that helped calm my nerves. I had to do the entire pattern without his help and then he would send me on my way to do it 3 more times on my own. We took off and I managed to pull it off. Of course, during my previous 20 hours of flying, I had done the pattern over and over and over.
I should say the pattern is essentially taking off turning left to crosswind, then left again downwind or parallel to the runway then left again for base, and finally left again to make my final approach and land.
The First Solo Takeoff
When I landed with Rich the first time he had me stop right on the runway and drop him off. I was now on my own for the first time at the controls. In my head, I am just going over what I am supposed to do. Clean it up or put the flaps in the neutral take of position. Stay off the brakes. Apply full power. Put back pressure on the yolk but don’t yank. I was totally taken off guard by how quickly the plane jumped into the air. It was like I was flying a much more powerful plane. I was at crosswind altitude way earlier which threw me a bit, so I leveled off and just kept going until I was far enough off the end of the runway to turn. As I was landing I heard over the radio stay off the brakes or did I? It was so much fun and totally exhilarating to be flying on my own. Spoiler alert! I pulled off my three takeoffs and landings pretty close to flawlessly and made it back to the hangar all in one piece. My dad said later that a pilot from Alaska happened to be there and asked my dad how long I had been flying. When he said this was my first solo the pilot said “Wow!”
My Mom
During my solo, my mom and dad were sitting just inside the hangar watching and waiting for me to get back. Apparently, my mom was not so confident in my abilities as she was praying that I didn’t die haha. My father looked over and saw this and asked what she was doing. Her response, “You know how forgetful he is!” To her relief, I survived, and I will never forget that hug and smile when I got out of the plane.
The Cutting of the Shirt
It is a tradition for an instructor to cut the back out of a student’s shirt once they complete their solo. With the knowledge ahead of time that I would be soloing I made sure to wear a shirt I didn’t really care about. Rich cut the back of my shirt and did a little drawing and signed it to commemorate the occasion. While we were sitting around talking after I asked Rich why he kept telling me to stay off the brakes. After all, I already knew that. He said, “I didn’t say a thing the entire time you were out there.” To this day I still think I heard him.
My First Night Flight – Boston
There are certain steps to getting a pilot’s license and one of them is a night flight. I will never forget that night. It was super clear, and Rich instructed me to ascend to 5800 ft. I have no idea why I remember that haha. We were flying to Bedford Massachusetts which is a little airport on the outskirts of Boston. On the way there we flew over interstate 93 and seeing all those red lights like ants marching in a row truly made me appreciate my ability to fly. I was so happy not to be stuck in that traffic. One memory I have of that night is the beautiful lights of the city. That is what really hooked me on flying at night. I have seen a lot of beauty around this country in my travels and that is one of the most beautiful sights I have witnessed. Another light memory I have is seeing seven planes stacked up in the pattern over Logan Airport all waiting to land. It looked like a lighted staircase.
As we were coming into Boston airspace I was talking to Boston approach and asked to transition the airspace. Rich told me it was unlikely they would say yes but to try anyway. To our surprise, a voice came back over the radio. “November 20454 permission to transition the airspace.” We had our permission to do a bit of flying around. We didn’t do too much sightseeing, but it was still an amazing experience to first be talking to Boston Air Traffic Control and second be flying around Boston! Off to the right I was supposed to be seeing the runway lights of Bedford but in a sea of lights finding specific lights is difficult. Eventually Rich helped me locate them and I will never forget that beauty. I love the look of runway lights haha. The deep blue and green almost took my breath away.
As I was on my final approach and about to land I felt a panic come over me. The lights in the center of the runway looked as if they were above the ground. For a second I thought I was about to hit them. Then I realized that didn’t make any sense and to just focus on landing the plane.
The Way Back
On the way back, I had to use a visor that wouldn’t allow me to look outside the plane. I had to completely rely on instruction from Rich, Air Traffic Control, and my instruments. That was really nerve-wracking. It was super hard not to look but I knew if I did I would have to do it all over again, so I maintained my focus on the instruments. The flight went off without a hitch and is still one of the best experiences of my life.
Closing Thoughts
Like I said, I wish I had been blogging when all this was happening. I could make this post into a novel if I kept going. Flying is truly one of the things that makes me feel alive and happy. I don’t actually have my license yet but that is a whole other story involving money or the lack of money I should say haha. I may have to write more flying posts at some point. I have a lot of stories to tell. Until then I hope you enjoyed this look into my flying adventures. Next week I will be back with another type of flying! So be looking for that!
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