Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted to be a pilot. Top Gun was (and still is) my all-time favorite movie. I dreamed of wearing a leather flight jacket and having a cool call-sign. So when I got the chance to get behind the controls of my own aircraft, I had to take it. Thankfully, Groupon is amazing at getting deals for introductory lessons. The Groupon deal was good for training in a flight simulator as well as flight time in a Cessna at Advanced Flyers in Palo Alto.
First off - flight instructions in the simulator.
The flight simulator
It's like playing a video game
Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff
Moments after a smooth landing
I'd do anything to be in the cockpit of a fighter jet flipping on the afterburners and doing barrel rolls. But I guess a Cessna 172SP will have to do.
My chariot
My flight instructor showed me around the plane and explained to me all of the complex flight controls that I would soon be using to pilot the plane. And of course, you can't fly a plane without aviators. It is known.
Pre-flight photo op
More pre-flight photos
I really wish I could describe how it felt to be at the controls of a real airplane. I've got countless hours of video game flying under my belt, but it really was a whole new experience when I was in complete control. Do you remember how you felt the first time you drove a car? The rush, the anxiety, the excitement? Flying a plane was kinda like that... except at 13,000 feet.
Taking off from Palo Alto, I flew along the peninsula and took a right at the Dumbarton Bridge.
From there, I flew by the salt flats and over the Fremont/Newark area.
Using the freeways as my guide, I made my way to Livermore Municipal airport. We landed in Livermore, taxied around the airport, and then took off for our return trip back to Palo Alto. My flight instructor let me have full control for our final landing and while it was a bit rocky, any landing you can walk away from is a good one. I doubt I'll get my pilots license since it demands a lot of time and money, but I will always have the memories of my journey into the skies above.
New Thing #6 - Take a flying lesson - DONE
Completed September 27, 2014
