Why is it that the best thing in Flying Magazine is the column about what went wrong in crashes? I love reading it. It's like Tom Clancy come to life.
Learning to fly is item number 68,942 on my list of stuff I'd really like to do when I find myself with more free time. Jonathan took me to Oshkosh this year for the private pilot festival thingy. I expected it to be a long day of studiously feigned interest. Tons of folks fly in Alaska, but I guess I never gave it that much thought. I loved being flown, but wasn't much drawn to the actual flyer-ing.
Yippily wrong about Oshkosh! It was groovy. I can't wait to learn. There were all sorts of folk there. Not just older men with those sunglasses that clip on to your own prescription bottle bottoms and brightly colored fanny packs. At lunch we sat next to a couple of spunky ladies with sparkly pins and attitude to spare. There was more than one biker babe.
Lucky for me, unlike all my other interests, learning to fly is dirt cheap. Anything with "aviation" in the description is always reasonably priced. Lucky for me. Yep. Ye..ep..p.
I'm sure none of the attraction to flying has come from being proposed to while J flew us to Janesville... none at all...
But back to the aftermath. Really, am I completely morbid? I'm fascinated to learn that some pilot decided to push on through a storm or a bought of sleepiness and just didn't quite make it in. While I know most people are not thrilled with the idea of a flying death, I always figured at least it'd be quick.
{My new swear word? What in the name of flying death were you thinking?!}
I'm going to have to use that one. I have loved your blog these last few days, dear, and your self portrait is shoulder clenchingly wonderful.
ReplyDeletethough i love your blogs all of them with equal delight, i made the mistake of reading this one a few days before a long transatlantic flight. i love flying...but somehow felt a panic under the surface that i am pushing, pushing down.
ReplyDeletehey m, aren't you flying soon too...is that how you face it...imagine the worst and coming out of it...that gives you courage? seriously, we have agood friend who is a retired pilot with UA and he used to teach fear of flying classes...very rational- all stats and comparisons to car accidents. i remember on an exceptionally turbulent (tv monitors falling out and things crashing wildly around) approach into ohare, the passengers on the plane were completely silent, only the whites of our knuckles were screaming. and out of that silence came my five-year-old's ecstatic voice "WOW! Whoa! Yeeha! This is better than a roller coaster" Several people laughed out loud (i'm sure with hysterical relief) and those who didn't probably wanted to kidnap him after we landed and put a bag over his head. he was totally in the moment of fun and that's what helps me.
btw being proposed to in an airplane is tres romantic!