Yup! You read that right. July 2018, one year ago almost to the day, I flew a 1947 Cessna 140 Little Taildragger and It. Was. Exhilarating!
I know, I know… How in the world !?!
It started with a SUP Pilates class. Earlier that same month, I took my first SUP class and loved it so much I started taking as many classes as I could. On one of those first paddles, I remember overhearing a classmate talking passionately about being a pilot and flight instructor. His energy was inviting and I wanted to know more. So I did. By the time we arrived back on shore we were exchanging numbers and discussing dates to fly.
I know, because he told me, that he was surprised when I confirmed for the following week. He said most people don’t take him up on the offer never mind a few days later. Are you kidding me? I was STOKED!
Of course, I didn’t tell my mom beforehand. Frankly, I didn’t tell most people because I didn’t want to absorb any nervous energy. I was not scared at all and wanted to keep it that way. I’ve always loved flying. I mean, I, myself, had never flown a plane but since I was a girl the joy of travel started in the sky. Typically our annual family vacations involved a flight and I was always giddy to catch the aerial views and be closer to the clouds.
***I’m gonna stop right here and say I am all for the adventure but please, please, please be safe out there. I am always super cautious. It is critical to be safe and live smartly, especially for us women. If a man on a paddleboard tells you you can fly his plane, please make sure to trust your intuition.***
Beforehand, I did tell a few dear friends the details and when I arrived, I assessed the situation to ensure I felt safe.
Then at the hangar, the first thing I asked was to check his papers. As a certified pilot and instructor this was part of the lesson but I didn’t know.
The experience was powerful. After learning about the history of this particular plane, which his father initially purchased in 1957 and serendipitously he bought from a different owner decades later, and a tutorial on how to fly, I flew the pilot’s 1947 Cessna 140 Little Taildragger (not this one). I flew for an hour along the coast of San Diego. I went west to La Jolla then south to Point Loma and did circles in the sky when I reached the peninsula. Once back at the airport I did 4 touch n go's (4 takeoffs and 3 landings). I loved it up there! I felt alive and often in that past year plus I hadn't.
Bill the Pilot gave me an A+ for my first flight, and of course, the perfectionist in me loved that rating. His feedback was that I listened to direction very well, and at the same time as being a student, I was confident in my own decision making and didn't waiver (unless he told me too). He was very impressed at how calm and collected I was for my first flight. Maybe it wouldn't be the same for future flights, he said, but this time A+. 2018 was all about saying Yes! to new opportunities and I have to say I had some pretty fucking amazing experiences because of it.
Now the adventures continue. I am off to Jakarta and Singapore on business. To more amazing adventures!
