Better than mountain climbing
"If you are reading this, chances are you're at least slightly interested in flying airplanes. And if you do want to fly, you know there are many steps involved in achieving that goal. Well, last week I began the journey to being a pilot. I took my first flight lesson!" Those words of a new pilot were forwarded by my friend Dorothy Schick, owner of TakeWING Aviation at Cres-well Municipal Airport, near Eugene, Oregon.
"As we were driving to the airport, I was slightly nervous. Of course, that feeling was immensely outweighed by the knowledge that I, Jonathan Messiers, would be embarking on a flight that, while only 30 minutes long, would be an exhilarating step into the rest of my life! Actually, my first word was avion, airplane in French. (I was born in Paris.) So I always felt that I was going to fly."
Schick is among my most-revered instructors. She graces the cover of my book, The Savvy Flight Instructor, and administered my first flight review in the Flying Carpet, shortly after I bought it. "How would you address runaway electric trim?" she'd asked at the time. "Easy," I said, "pull the circuit breaker." But this type of breaker you cannot disarm; I searched fruitlessly for a solution until Doro pointed it out. Surely she'd pocketed the on/off switch and reattached it to the panel when I wasn't looking, to teach me a lesson. Anyway, back to Jonathan's story.
"When we arrived at the airport, Dorothy had already parked the aircraft by the office. After a briefing and the preflight check, I strapped myself snugly into the cushioned cockpit. By the way, this is Dorothy's personal aircraft. It was a huge honor to be allowed to fly in this airplane. As I waved goodbye to my relatives and friends, a friend of Dorothy's pulled the prop and started the engine.
"We moseyed down the taxiway to the runway, where Dorothy turned the airplane 360 degrees to check for any landing planes. Then she poured on the throttle and we roared down the tarmac and pulled into the sky. As we lifted into the air I could see the smiling faces of my loved ones. I can't imagine the size of the grin they saw on me."
I'm not the only one who admires Dorothy Schick. This woman overcame adversity to grow a successful business sharing her passion for flight. She appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show, teaching a handicapped person to fly. So when Doro sent me Jonathan's essay, I knew I'd better read it.
"As we gained altitude, Dorothy explained the basics of talking on the intercom. When it was my turn to fly, I would say, 'I've got the airplane.' And when it was her turn, she would say the same thing. When we were over Creswell's giant Lake Dexter, I got the airplane and I started a controlled right turn all the way around. Then I did a left turn. The handling was great. I expected to be pulling at half strength on the stick, but I only had to nudge it gently. Then Dorothy instructed me to do a 180 and follow the Willamette River. We passed over Springfield and headed to Eugene.
"Over Tugman Park, I noted that I lived somewhere around here. So I asked Dorothy to take the plane, and started giving directions. We flew over Safeway, and I saw the Edgewood Pool. After walking that route for 10 years, I was pretty sure about where my house was. I confirmed it when I saw my mom's red car and the painter's pickup (we're getting our bathroom redone). Actually, I talked to him afterwards, and he said he saw my plane! I could even see a skateboard on my neighbor's trampoline.
"Anyway, it was almost time to get back. But I couldn't go without doing one more thing. I asked Dorothy if we could fly by Spencer Butte. Not the school, mind you, as we had already flown over that searching for my house, but the mountain! We started for it, gaining altitude, and we could see someone standing on the rocks! I remembered all those times hiking up there and looking at the view. That was crap compared to this! I don't think I'll ever be excited about climbing a mountain again. Not when I looked down on it from 2,500 feet in the air! As we flew by, we waved our wings at the climber."
I considered Dorothy's accompanying e-mail: "The young man who wrote this, Jonathan, is 14 years old. He is one of those kids that, when he walked in the door, I just knew would be an amazing and wonderful person. I believe we have in him not only the next generation of pilot, but hopefully an author too!" Jonathan beamed from the attached cockpit photo.
"Back at Creswell Airport, Dorothy taught me how to call in the approach. We touched down with a bump, and taxied to the office, where everyone cheered for me! I stepped out of the plane, and into the embrace of my family and friends--although I have to say I was slightly disappointed to be on the ground after going up and flying myself for the first time. In the office I received some big flight manuals that my mom had ordered for me. After we said our goodbyes, we went to Tasty Thai to celebrate. It was one of the best days of my life."
No wonder Dorothy sent this! It's no easy thing, capturing in mere words the enchantment of flight. But you, Jonathan Messiers, have done it! Keep flying, and keep writing. We want to ride along on your coming adventures!
Greg Brown was the 2000 National Flight Instructor of the Year. His books include Flying Carpet, The Savvy Flight Instructor, The Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual, Job Hunting for Pilots, and You Can Fly! Read Jonathan Messiers's full text at Greg's Web site. Visit Dorothy Schick's TakeWING site.
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