Every year, for his birthday, I try to help my husband cross something off of his bucket list.
When I saw that ATD Flight Systems was running an introductory rate of $85 for a flight lesson, I called immediately. How cool would it be to get to fly a plane?
The appointment making was easy - I called, set everything up and was advised to keep an eye on weather conditions approaching the day of the lesson. FYI, if it's rainy or too windy, they won't let you fly, which makes total sense. It looked like it might be too windy close to the date so I called to follow up and was told to come on in. I didn't really get much communication after the appointment was set (and I set it way in advance) - you have to be proactive. It was weird how casual they were about the whole thing. I think I was expecting more - a security check, anything beyond just giving a credit card number and showing up. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
We lucked out. It was beautiful and clear the day of hubby's class. We arrived, and our instructor gave us a comprehensive tour of the plane hubs would be flying. They went over safety equipment and we both climbed into the little three seater for an explanation of the controls. Then our friendly instructor asked if I wanted to fly with them. Say what? I mean, kind of, but also hell to the no.
I choked down the fear and we started taxiing down the runway after our instructor explained that he has access to all of the controls. At any time, if he feels that you need some help or you know, the plane starts plummeting to certain death, he can take over.
Luckily, my man can drive anything and didn't need the assistance. We took off and landed twice, (the instructor landed us the first time so Aaron could see how to do it) and spent about a half an hour in the air, flying above downtown KC. It was beautiful. And nerve wracking. At one point the instructor turned around and asked if I was going to vomit on him. Apparently it has happened before and I kept grabbing the back of his seat as we swooped around. I assured him that I wasn't nauseated, just a little chicken. Wearing the headset was a trip - you get to hear the inner workings of a small airport and that was super fun.
We landed, and Aaron's landing was so smooth, you can hear me on the tape saying, "Are we actually on the GROUND?!?" Yes, I taped it. I was so proud! My husband loved it and really wants to do it again. I would highly recommend the experience, from a passenger or piloting perspective. read more