Ever wonder what it’s like to fly an airplane? To actually be the pilot…to taxi, take off and maybe even steer the plane once you’re airborne?
I had the opportunity to do all of the above one week ago and must say–it was a great experience! And I think–excuse the pun–that I’m still flying high now!
Here’s a post re: an introductory flying lesson that I took compliments of Cloud9Living (full disclaimer below), a cool company based in Boulder, CO, that offers ‘experience gifts’ (eg, driving a race car, playing golf with a pro, going on an Illuminati hunt, etc.) to it customers. Mine happened to be in New Jersey, but these types of experiences are possible just about anywhere in the country.
Anticipation
For at least a week before my lesson, I felt excited at the mere anticipation of the big day. I’m no stranger to small planes (I flew into the Amazon on a tiny one and flew over the Nazca lines of Peru on an even smaller one) and of course, know what it’s like to be a passenger. But to handle some of the controls? To take off and perhaps do more?
Wow, I thought several times during the week, my heart fluttering in sweet anticipation--this is going to be exciting!
The Big Day
Great Weather + a Fun/New Friend
The big day came, and I woke up feeling happy for many reasons, one of which was the perfect weather. Blue sky, 63 degrees and very light wind. Just right. (By the way, I was supposed to go a week earlier—post-Hurrianne Sandy–but had to postpone because the wind was 30 mph).
I’d invited a new friend, a Romanian man named Robert who was visiting my landlords, whom I met randomly in the hallway, about a week ago. (Story about our ‘reverse couch surfing’ experience coming soon.) I thought it would be fun to show him some of New Jersey, especially Princeton. He gladly accepted my invitation.
Robert–Romanian Friend
Kayaking, Then Flying
So we set off in the morning for a tour of North Jersey, then headed to Princeton in Central Jersey. We went kayaking and then headed to the airport, which was several miles away. When we pulled in and I saw the small planes, I felt a mini adrenaline rush.
Was I really going to be flying one of them. Which one, I wondered…
Meeting John, My Teacher & Skyhawk, the Plane
Within a few minutes of checking in, I met ‘John,’ a pilot and my teacher. He was a cool dude, no doubt, who had been flying for years. He knew he wanted to be a pilot when he was a kid and for him, flying a plane is only slightly harder than breathing…
After doing a little paperwork, we went outside and checked out the plane, a small Cessna. I liked it right away. Part of the reason was its name. Skyhawk. Sounded good to me.
Of course, I had to pose next to it. 
Posing Next to the Skyhawk
Instruments, Gauges and Monitors–Oh My!
Then, I took a peek inside and thought—wow, look at all of those instruments and controls, etc. It was a tiny bit intimidating at first.
Inside the Cockpit
John–Cool as a Cucumber
But then, when we got inside the plane and I saw John looking calm and as cool as cucumber, I relaxed. He explained the basics, a couple of which I instantly forgot (since there are lots of things to know). But it was no problem at all. He was patient and didn’t mind re-explaining; he was eager to answer my questions.
He then had me start up the plane, which was…interesting. Sure, you use a key, which is similar to what you do in a car, but it’s somewhat different. I recall having to sort of ‘give it gas’ while turning the key left, then right, then both both ways. After a couple attempts, the plane started up!
Then, to my surprise, we used foot pedals to steer it. Not the steering wheel–aka, the ‘pilot’s wheel’. (That’s for when you’re up in the air.) We moved on to the runway and we–actually, I did a good amount of this–taxied for a bit. Easy so far.
“By the way,” John said, “you’re going to be handling the take-off.”
“What? Me? Really?”
Me–Giddy as a School Girl
Knowing that I was going to be doing something so important got the adrenaline going once again. And know what? I loved it. I felt as giddy as a school girl on a first date. In this case, it was a first flight!
John was a great teacher. Not only did he know his stuff, but he was patient. I did exactly as he told me….pulled on the choke, then pulled back on the pilot’s wheel and shortly thereafter, we were airborne! Woo hoo!
It was so exciting that I almost couldn’t contain myself.
Ascending
As we began to climb, John took charge. He explained more of the basics—like how it’s possible for a plane to fly through thick clouds/limited visibility. To know what the heck is going on, just check the altitude indicator (seen below).
Altitude Indicator
Shortly thereafter, we reached a comfortable altitude. A couple thousand feet. Later, we went up higher–to about 4000 feet (sorry, metric system followers.) And when either of us spoke, we sounded just like pilots. You know, that mellowed out voice you hear when you’re flying. (Just kidding—we sounded the same as before.)
Cruising Fast or Slow?
What blew my mind was how slowly it seemed we were going. I’ve felt that in large planes, of course, but in the small one, I didn’t expect it. Although we were doing about 100 mph, it felt like only 30. And that was a little bit surreal.
Also, I felt much more connected to the air–closer to it and more a part of it–than in a larger plane. This was rather cool as it reminded me of kayaking in some way. When I’m in a kayak, I feel that I’m truly in and at one with the water. In a small plane, I felt that way about the air.
Looking out the windows and down below was enjoyable because I know Central New Jersey pretty well. When John pointed out landmarks, I recognized some of them. The second photo, from what I recall, is of the Parkway/Raritan Bridge and the Raritan River.
View from my side of the plane
Flying Over Central New Jersey
Steering the Plane
I learned how to steer the plane, and I must say that I rather liked it. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. The key is to not keep the wheel turned too far in one direction–to put it back to neutral after you’ve begun to move in the direction you’ve chosen. If you leave it turned too much in one direction, you might over-steer and go in a circle.
If this happens, you don’t need to worry. Everything is fine because the teacher instantly takes over and gets you back on track.
‘The Plane (Sort of) Flies Itself’
According to John, for the most part, “the plane ‘flies itself’.” And in some ways, it did seem this was true. Once we were in the air, we didn’t do all that much. It was mostly during the takeoff and landing that we had to work at it. In the video below, that’s pretty much what I say. (Sorry if you can’t hear me very well; the roar of the engine is quite loud!)
Landing…Twice
We talked about landing and he explained how much harder it is than taking off, which made sense to me. Many things have to be taken into consideration. He said that if a student continued with lessons, they would learn that later on. (Believe me, I’d love to take a few more lessons and perhaps give it a shot!)
He showed me some of Central New Jersey—the countryside and the more urban areas—as well as the Delaware River. It was all fascinating to see from the sky, too, because I know it best on the ground.
“Want to land at a larger airport—one with air traffic control?” he asked.
“Sure, why not?” I said.
Within minutes, we approached, then landed in, Trenton. This was a very different experience because he had to make contact with air traffic control. They spoke via radio and soon, the landing strip was in sight. Minutes later, after choosing the appropriate approach speed, we were landing.
A Second Takeoff
John handled the landing and it was a good one. Smooth. We didn’t stay too long and then took off once again. And I got to be in charge of it. It was just as much fun the second time, by the way! I did some more steering and he explained more of what’s required to do certain things and then we made our way back to Princeton.
Along the way, we got to know each other. This was fun, too, as John’s an interesting guy. He’s going to be serving in the Army soon, first attending officer training school and then flying helicopters. He’ll obviously be great at it.
Back on the Ground
Post-Flying…Plenty of Smiling
After we landed, I still felt great. A little high, in fact. I think it was the after-effects of the adrenaline rush. And the wonderful feeling did not wear off for a long time. (Unfortunately, my friend Robert wasn’t allowed to be in the plane; nor was he able to schedule his own lesson.) We went to downtown Princeton and hung out at Small World Coffee and chatted about politics and history and all the while, I still felt sort of giddy.
Experience–One of the Best Gifts
Giving the gift of an experience is powerful and memorable, according to many sources, including Happiness Guru Dan Buettner. He says that “the newness from a new thing wears off in about 9-to-14 months whereas a good memory will gain luster over time.”
I believe this–and I’m sure I’ll look back on this day fondly for a very long time. I truly loved taking this introductory flying lesson; it was both exciting and fun.
Another reason this philosophy resonates with me is that I’m a world traveler. As such, I naturally tend to spend my money on experiencing the world (vs buying material things).
9 Days of Christmas Contest
By the way, Cloud 9 Living has many wonderful ‘experience gifts’ you can get for your friends or family–everything from driving a dragster or stock car to flying a helicopter and or going on a scavenger hunt. Like the way this sounds? Then check out and sign up for their special contest called the ‘9 Days of Christmas‘. The Grand Prize is a chance to be a Fighter Pilot for the Day.
The contest starts on Nov. 19 and runs through Dec. 23. Between Dec. 16 and 24, a winner will be announced each day. Check out the contest website for more details on prizes.
Disclosure: The flying lesson I’ve described was gifted to me by Cloud 9 Living in exchange for this review. There was no monetary compensation, however, and the ideas and opinions are my own.
Your Thoughts/Reactions/Experiences?
Have you ever taken a flying lesson? Did you just go for the introductory one or did you continue studying it? Would you like to get a pilot’s license?
If you haven’t done this, would you like to? Why or why not?
I might want to take some more lessons and PS: I’m definitely going to enter Cloud 9’s contest. The reason? I’d like to be a fighter pilot for a day. I think that would be beyond exciting!