Flight school.

Soaring like a bird that’s the feeling you get when on full power. Gear up and it’s fly time. Yet what goes up must come down, not like ones blood pressure. It’s a funny feeling in you tummy when a commerical pilot turns on you seat belt sign and you hit turbulent weather and it's twice as bad in a general avaition plane. There was only one time in my life when I doughed my sanity (accually two). I had just put 10 flying hours with an instructor who was pushing 80 who thought that anyone could solo an airplane. I think he wanted to pass me before he croaked but I was out to prove him wrong.


I had flown before all illegally. W'd take a friends dad’s plane up from a farm strip in central Indiana…I mean who was going to complain? They didn’t even have telephones to report people in Indiana back in the day. The two of us put our hours in all improperly, near crash landings, what the heck we were just kids.

Now this time I was legal and at the wheel with an audience, the instructor. Gad, talk about weird airports. It was Mt. Hawley Airport in Peoria. Its a short runway that’s right in front of the Illinois River meaning down drafts and updrafts… I circled the airport then bounced the plane in sideways. It was one was close.

I hopped out of the plane waiting for the instructor to cut me in half telling me I have failed my solo flight. “Nice job.“ he said as he was cleaning his coke bottle glasses.

Moments later I had my student license in hand. I flew for another 8 eight years before reality set in…$$$ as well as another near miss. Now a days I sit on board with 200 plus others and let the bus driver do his job…coffee, tea or milk?

" A late flight gets later."