We've Taken Off

Welcome back everyone. Tonight is our first meeting for the pilots association and I wanted to give the information on that as well as let everyone know about the flight.

Let's start with the flight. Last week, weather was a bit rougher than we expected so we had to put off the flight a few days. Friday, the weather was perfect. Aero Insurance Services, Inc. was nice enough to allow Bob to take me up in his plane. Aero Insurance Services, Inc. is an up and coming aviation insurance company that has a classic plane.

So, we got into the plane mid-morning and Bob started educating me right away. The inside of an airplane really isn't that complicated at all. (Below you will see a picture of the inside). It really was a cool feeling to be sitting in the right seat of a small plane and having the controls right in front of you. Bob and I went over the basics so I understood what he was doing, as I have a fear of heights and he wanted to make sure I was 100% comfortable throughout the flight. 

We taxied to the end of the taxi way and played what I would call an "I Spy" type game. We wanted to make sure the runway was going to be clear so Bob called out of the radio that we were preparing for take off. We heard another pilot that he was a few miles off and Bob wanted to show me how to spot where he is. We scanned the sky based on where he said he was at and sure enough we found him. We had plenty of time to take off and again, Bob made sure I was ready before taking off.

I have flown probably about 16 times in commercial planes. I hate take off and landings. Being in a small private plane is entirely different. To me it was like being in a cloud (or what one would think it would be like). The speed doesn't feel like you are going any faster than you would on Pyott or Randall. You gently lift off the ground and before you know it you are over 2,000 feet in the air. Aero's plane is a high wing plane, which means that the wings sit on top of the fuselage. I was able to look out the window as we flew over my home. I didn't feel at all uneasy about being so high in the air.  

We were in the sky for about 20 minutes and every minute felt so relaxing. It was very quiet and stress free in the sky. Bob continued educating me on just general aviation information. He showed me how little you have to move the controls to make the plane shift a large amount. We traveled around the area of Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, and Algonquin. The view was amazing and when you see the bird's eye view of Lake in the Hills, you really find out how beautiful this town really is.

As I stated earlier, I am not a huge fan of landings. Bob explained what was going to happen and how everything was going to take place. We lined the plane up on the run way and aimed for the number 08. Just as Bob had told me we are going to land right on the numbers, we did. Our wheels set down very smoothly and again, it nothing like a commercial aircraft. We rolled to the end of the runway area and parked the plane. This was an amazing experience.

If there is anyone reading this that would be interested in going up on an introductory flight like I had gone on, you can call Blue Skies Flying Services and they would be happy to take you up. Their number is 800-850-4397. I would also suggest this for anyone who has never flown at all and wants to get over any fears of flying. This was a great experience and I wish I had started flying sooner in life.

Tonight is our first pilots association meeting. This meeting is open to all that have a general interest or love of aviation. Tonight's meeting's purpose is to set up the future of the organization by clearly coming up with the goals and visions that everyone has.

If you are interested in coming, the meeting is in the Blue Skies Training Room, 8411 Pyott Rd. We are in the green roofed building with the orange windsock. The meeting starts at 6 pm.