Up Up ... Up and Away!

Ask anyone what’s on their “bucket list” and you may see some of the popular ones like, visiting a country they never been to, bungee jumping or jumping out of a plane. But what about flying an airplane yourself?

With the help of http://www.letsgoflying.com and Long Island Aviators, I was able to experience just that! Is it as hard as you may think so? Certain aspects yes and certain aspects no. Is it as fun and exhilarating as you may think? No. It's even better!

I met Greg with Long Island Aviators and we sat down for about thirty minutes to go over the fundamentals and dynamics of the airplane and why and how it moves and operates the way it does prior to taking flight. We were to be taking flight on a Cessna Skyhawk 172S. Greg was able to explain why the plane was designed the way it is, from the body to the wings, in a way that was easy to comprehend (fly for yourself and you’ll see why too. I won’t give away all the secrets!).

After our lesson, it was time to “get to the good stuff” and go to the airplane. We went through the extensive checklist to look over the airplane before boarding. Door locked: check. Seatbelt buckled: check. Check check check and we’re ready to go!

Taxiing down to the runway was extremely difficult. Greg said, next to landing, it is one of the hardest things to do. I proved him right by going zigzag over the road line instead of staying along it! Nothing can prepare you for the exhilarating feeling of going down the runway with the controls in your own hands.

I was prepared to help fly the plane here and there. Instead, Greg put his trust in me and I controlled the plane the whole time we were in the sky. We were up for a good 45 minutes at about 3000 feet in the air. I turned the plane in different directions as well and guiding it down to as low as 500 feet and back up to 3000 feet. While at 500 feet, I guided the plane along the shore of Fire Island, Long Island. Just two months post Hurricane Sandy and homes still had boards up on their windows. It was an eye opener to say the least.

When my time up in the air was drawing to a close, with the help of Greg, I was able to land the plane as well. No easy task to say the least! While I tried to regain my equilibrium back, I let Greg handle taxiing the plane back to its designated area.

The peace and tranquility one feels while up in the air is immeasurable and indescribable. While this was not on my “bucket list” per say, it has now become a memory I will never forget. This will be one of hopefully many more trips up in the air I take with the controls at my fingertips.

I would like to thank http://www.letsgoflying.com and Long Island Aviators for the wonderful opportunity. Check out their website for a wealth of information on how you can soar up into the air and scratch this off your “bucket list” as well.