The adrenaline is still rushing through me as I type this. I cannot believe the afternoon I just had! While I wanted to stay in King Salmon until tomorrow, the pilot said it was going to snow tomorrow so decided today was the best day to fly. So this afternoon I had my stuff packed up and after a nice lunch with some good people, I was ready to go. Eddie got us loaded up and then we were headed back home. Once we were up in the air, Eddie looked at me and told me to take over..
He certainly didn’t have to tell me twice! I had the wheel in my hands before he could change his mind. Of course then I quickly and nervously asked what it was that I was supposed to be doing. He showed me how to steer and what to do to keep it steady. Then he just let me take control! Whenever Eddie wanted me to go a certain direction, he’d just point. We spent the whole flight just talking about flying and all sorts of things. He explained a lot about the technique to flying and explained how similar it is to driving a car. The flight path was pretty easy to follow because we were following the coast, but Eddie let me decide where I wanted us to go. We were about 200 feet above the ground for the majority of the trip but it felt like we were right above the water.
While I was perfectly content with the opportunity to take charge in the air, Eddie took it one step further and taught me how to land! I was panicking at first, but he talked me through it (and helped a bit) and I was able to make a total of four beach landings along the way:) He also taught me how to take off both from a quick touch-down and a complete stop. I still can’t believe I was flew a plane for almost 100 miles!
As we were flying, Eddie mentioned a few times that I would be very easy to teach how to fly. He is currently teaching another woman how to fly and he said I’d be a quick learner just like her (which I take to be a huge compliment as he’s mentioned her skill a few times in the past few days). While we talked, I became more and more interested in learning and I plan to ask him to teach me how to fly in the spring:) I think it would be an incredible thing to do and the freedom it brings with it is amazing. As children we are always asked what superpower we would want and many times our answer is “to be able to fly”; well today, I got to have that superpower and I want to be able to do it whenever I want. While Eddie claims he could teach me to fly in just a few hours, I think it would take longer (let’s not get ahead of ourselves).
When Pilot Point came into view Eddie said I needed to buzz town. He then laughed as I excitedly said “okay!” before he even had the full sentence out of his mouth. I got to fly above my home and then I landed the plane on the runway! He showed me how to drive it on the runway and then as if no time had passed at all, I was back on the ground in Pilot Point. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling as I got out of the plane and looked around. I flew a plane today! I’m going to keep saying that to myself all night and I don’t think it will feel real anytime soon.
There are so many times when I question if this is truly my life, and today is just another on the list of instances. I constantly feel like I am in a dream and that I will wake up in my bed in New Jersey any second. However, even if that were true, I would be content. This adventure just never stops getting better and I am feeling both blessed and in shock at the opportunities that I am offered out here. It feels good to be back home in Pilot Point for my final stretch, but I am looking forward to when Eddie and I can go out flying again!:)
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