Flying, in and of itself, is one of the most rewarding things a person can do. In the world, there are committees, task groups, group thinking, etc. But in an airplane, it is you, the airplane, and the forces of nature. When things go right, it is because of you. When things go wrong, only you can fix them. It's pilot and airplane, that simple! Only ATC (air traffic control) tells you what to do, and even then, it's usually instructions that keep you from hitting another airplane or terra firma.
But flying is also a social thing for me. I love to fly somewhere and meet with friends or at a fly-in with lots of other friends, or friends-to-be-made.
But this blog is about my co-pilot, my wife, best friend, and yes, copilot of N5722Q. Lots of spouses have issues with motorcycles and airplanes. They don't like them, and don't want their spouses to kill themselves. Well, my co-pilot, who is not a pilot is the best co-pilot a pilot could want. Linda plans flights and destinations, calls friends with Mooneys to join us at some beautiful airport for breakfast or lunch. Plans long trips and short trips. Simply put, she loves flying. During a pre-flight check of the airplane, she is as vigilant as I am to ensure that 22Q is safe and sound for the flight. She is always looking out for traffic and pointing it out to me. Her eyes are way too good and she sees planes miles away that are no factor. I have a tendency to only look for planes within a few mile radius, but not Linda. She sees planes miles away and thousands of feet different in altitude. She's better than a traffic collision avoidance system, and much prettier and pleasant. On landing, she always double checks that I have extended the landing gear, so as to avoid a gear-up landing. This is very useful. It is said there there are 2 types of pilots, those that have done a gear-up landing, and those that will. Linda is working to make us the exception. That is also very useful.
But the best part of her co-pilot-ness is that she is like a kid when we are flying. Her nose is glued to the window watching earthbound people and features and marveling at them all. We have seldom flown a straight line to our destination. She'll see something and ask me to turn and descend towards it for a better look. Often it is a mountain lake, or a wine vineyard, apple orchard, water treatment pool (yes, they look beautiful from the air with the fountains and patterns in the water), and too many others to mention. Everything is beautiful from the air.
And so is my beautiful co-pilot!
But flying is also a social thing for me. I love to fly somewhere and meet with friends or at a fly-in with lots of other friends, or friends-to-be-made.
But this blog is about my co-pilot, my wife, best friend, and yes, copilot of N5722Q. Lots of spouses have issues with motorcycles and airplanes. They don't like them, and don't want their spouses to kill themselves. Well, my co-pilot, who is not a pilot is the best co-pilot a pilot could want. Linda plans flights and destinations, calls friends with Mooneys to join us at some beautiful airport for breakfast or lunch. Plans long trips and short trips. Simply put, she loves flying. During a pre-flight check of the airplane, she is as vigilant as I am to ensure that 22Q is safe and sound for the flight. She is always looking out for traffic and pointing it out to me. Her eyes are way too good and she sees planes miles away that are no factor. I have a tendency to only look for planes within a few mile radius, but not Linda. She sees planes miles away and thousands of feet different in altitude. She's better than a traffic collision avoidance system, and much prettier and pleasant. On landing, she always double checks that I have extended the landing gear, so as to avoid a gear-up landing. This is very useful. It is said there there are 2 types of pilots, those that have done a gear-up landing, and those that will. Linda is working to make us the exception. That is also very useful.
But the best part of her co-pilot-ness is that she is like a kid when we are flying. Her nose is glued to the window watching earthbound people and features and marveling at them all. We have seldom flown a straight line to our destination. She'll see something and ask me to turn and descend towards it for a better look. Often it is a mountain lake, or a wine vineyard, apple orchard, water treatment pool (yes, they look beautiful from the air with the fountains and patterns in the water), and too many others to mention. Everything is beautiful from the air.
And so is my beautiful co-pilot!
1 comment:
This is the sweetest post ever! It's so nice for a daughter to see her dad so happy and in love. I'm verklempt!
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