I am one of those odd people who really enjoys traveling. I realize that most people like vacationing in a different city but most don't enjoy the act of getting there. I love airports, train stations, road trips, all of that. Don't get me wrong, I get tired of it all sometimes too and look forward to no longer living out of a suitcase. I have had my share of not so fun traveling experiences including unexpectedly spending the night in the Charlotte airport. However, it has not squashed my romantic notions of traveling. And let me say, if you have to spend the night in an airport, I recommend Charlotte. Everyone is really nice even when you cry from fatigue at the US Airways counter.
So anyway, when I got the opportunity to fly in a small (4 passenger) plane for the first time, of course I jumped at the chance.
Here I am, feeling very official with my headset on. Now normally, I like to push every button in front of me (I seriously got banned from the front seat of my friend's car in high school because she was sick of me messing with her radio) but I showed great restraint since you know, lives hung in the balance. However, I did get a chance to try steering a bit while taxiing which confirmed that I was not born to be a pilot.
My friend dealt with air traffic control, weather and all of those crazy dials and I just got to enjoy the view. It was really fun to see my hometown from up above, especially as I was able to locate my parents' neighborhood and my old high school.
While my stomach felt a bit off in the little plane, the ride wasn't too rough. I didn't know what to expect with a smaller plane but I've definitely had bumpier landings when flying commercially. The experience was well worth it and fit in well with my general life philosophy of "Why not?" It was also a good reminder to me that I don't have to fly halfway across the world (although I so love doing that) to have an adventure.
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