October 23, 2011
"That would be great, see you then."
It's 7:30am Sunday morning and I look outside; it's cloudy. I check the weather and it appears that there are a few pockets of light rain around the region. I'm really hoping that it clears up soon because I have plans to fly a friend from work along with her husband. Tammy has shown continued interest and support throughout my flight training. Her husband Terry took a few lessons back in the day and was so excited to have the opportunity to revisit the skies. Tammy however has a fear of heights and is uncomfortable in airplanes. Terry managed to talk her to into going today.
It's now 8:30am and the clouds seem to be clearing. I can see the sun peaking through and the rain has moved on. We're in luck. I meet Tammy and Terry, grab the clipboard, and walk us out to the airplane. Terry expresses great interest in the preflight inspection, so I decide that I would explain what I'm checking and why. This is pretty cool, I feel like a CFI. Today we're taking a Cessna 172. I've never flown the C-172 without another pilot before; this will be a first. I've also never carried more than one passenger; today I have two. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through my body.
I turn the key and the engine erupts with life. I can sense everyone's anticipation as I run through additional sections of the preflight checklist. I listen to the weather and it tells me exactly what I want to hear; the clouds have raised and the winds are calm. I taxi us out to the runway, stop at the hold short line, and perform the runup. I then look over to make sure that everyone is buckled, the windows closed, and the doors locked shut. The traffic is clear. I announce our departure over the radio and line up on the runway. After applying full power, we begin rolling down the runway, gaining speed. At 50 knots the plane is ready to fly. I pull back on the yoke to start my climb when suddenly the lock on my door unlatches. I immediately pull the power to idle and roll us down the runway until we can pull off. I've never had to abort a takeoff before. Once on the taxiway, I stop, secure my door and prepare for takeoff. At 50 knots the wheels begin to raise off the runway. "Oh wow Sara, this is amazing!" Terry exclaimed.
We depart the area and follow the Mississippi River to the east. The trees are showing their peak Fall colors, the sun is shining and the clouds are reflecting off the calm water below. I look back to see Tammy with a huge smile, snapping pictures of everything. We fly by Alton, IL, then over the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and above the old Chain of Rocks Bridge. I tune in to the St. Louis Downtown airport's frequency, then make my radio call. "St. Louis Downtown, Skyhawk 4-8-8-2-Golf, about 10 miles to the north, requesting an Arch flyby." "4-8-8-2-Golf, standby" they respond. I wait as they attend to other aircraft. I'm clear to enter their airspace since they stated my airplane's call sign, so I continue flying closer. I'm almost to the Arch, the radio is now quiet, and they haven't gotten back to me. "St. Louis Downtown, 4-8-8-2-Golf requesting that Arch flyby," I repeat. The controller immediately answers and approves my transition through their airspace, allowing me to circle the Arch before heading back north. Terry tells me again how incredible this is, and Tammy is taking video. This was the first time that I've taken passengers to tour the Arch by myself. I'm feeling amazing, confident, and proud. I did it!
We head back north, find the Missouri River, and follow it west. I fly over my home airport, then continue west to the Mississippi River again. I wanted to take them up the river to see more of the gorgeous trees. Tammy's headset had nowhere to plug in so we couldn't communicate, however Terry was in the front passenger seat so we could talk during the entire flight. He often expressed his enjoyment and asked frequent questions. It felt good to "teach." I offered the controls to him, but he said I was doing great as it was and that he was content just sitting there. I take us up the river for about 15 minutes before heading home. I had been a bit nervous about landing the C-172 because previous landings have been a little more rough than I like. I just haven't gotten used to this plane yet. I focused hard and managed to have my smoothest C-172 landing to date.
We had an amazing time. Tammy took fantastic pictures and Terry couldn't stop smiling. Moments like today just reinforce why I fly. It feels great, and to share it with other people is a dream come true.
You can see a couple photos on my "Photos" page, and the link to the videos are under my "Videos" page.
Flight Log to Date
Hours flown: 86.5
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