Life is about Experiences – Mikee S. & Sway

In the air

The early day had a cold bite in the air. The fog just started rising and in the distance, I could see it. The Piper Cherokee. A small plane, fast in the air and beautiful sounding hum as it passes by. In the lobby, I could hear the people chatting about their morning affairs, what they fly, and the best place to buy breakfast. However as my vision focused on the plane all I could hear were muffled voices, my eyes tunnelled to the image. The thought of flying again gave a thrill like no other. I took a deep breath and re-entered my world. Sitting down and waiting my turn for the flight. I picked up a magazine showing the latest sales and bits and baubles of aerospace. I tried to stay calm but all I felt was the chill of the day and a buzz in my chest. I knew the pilot I was going to be paired with has years of experience however the last couple days have had rough weather, who knew what was going to happen up there.

My thoughts evolved into a daze, I daydreamed again silencing everyone around me. Then I hear a blurb of sound getting louder. “Sabaten” I snapped upwards, “Your turn, head over there with me”. I follow the officer through the door out the lobby, feeling the even colder autumn air fill my lungs as I breathed in, the fragrance of grass and a hint of exhaust fumes with it. The salt on the path crunched under my boots as I stepped onto the apron of the runway. I looked around the Cherokee and waited for the pilot to say I could enter. I pat the soles of my boots on the ground to make sure they were free of any salt or dirt and after given the permission, I stepped onto the wing, entering the side of the plane. The controls were idle and everything I heard sounded so far away. I was given instructions on how to properly fasten myself to the seat and a quick overview of our flight plan. Then he started the plane. The once cold dead mass of metal and plastic suddenly turned alive. The hum of the engine sounding like a thundering river through my headset. Radio chatter filling the once silent and empty space. Everything had a gentle rumble, enough to tell me I am in a flying metal beast, but not enough to scare me. The officer exchanged conversation with the control tower. He turned to me. “Flight Corporal are you ready?” I nodded and replied making sure the headset could pick up my voice.

We turned onto the runway once given permission to take off. I have been through this a couple times before. But the rush never went away, the buzz in my chest grew stronger as we picked up speed.  The shaking of the plane became more violent as the sights of the airport went by quicker. And then. Take off. The shaking subsided and was back to the calm rumble it was. The overwhelming noise from the radio and the feeling in my stomach all died away as the ground went further. As our altitude grew the clean images of each building blurred and all the colours blended together. In the distance, I could see the calm rivers gleaming. The beautiful circle patterns of moss painted onto the waters like giant green ripples. As I gazed around the pilot checked our flight plan. The moment he decided our altitude was right he let me take control. Of course being a beginner he would not make me do anything too difficult, just some turns, angle correcting, basic manoeuvres. Feeling the sway of each movement, cutting through the atmosphere and seeing the horizon become dynamic in each change of pitch, it was complete freedom. Unrestricted by roads, rails or sidewalks. Each gentle push on the yoke and pedals gave a new command to the flying machine. I was instructed to turn and point the plane at two directions, to the Simon Fraser University then the Pitt Meadows airport. I handed back the controls and realised, even though I felt relaxed every muscle in my body tensed. I eased back into the seat content that I was back in the air.

We began our landing procedures after what felt like five minutes in total in the air, but in reality, it has been around fifty. The pilot slowly decreased our altitude and we landed. I exited the airport with memories that I will forever hold dear.