Not long ago Adrianna went up for her 1st Orientation Flight
for Civil Air Patrol. After Michigans snow machine caused the flight
to be rescheduled several times, a last minute call finally
confirmed a go. And we needed to leave in 30 minutes.
For me that meant grabbing a hat.
And the Canon.
Because there was an extra spot on the plane,
the awesome pilot invited Nathan to accompany his sister, much to her delight.
And his as it happened to be his birthday.
Prep for them (her) was a bit more involved since we are still
working on a timely system for dressing in BDUs
and getting the hair bun to cooperate.
When we arrived, we were told that a celebrity had just flown in
so while Captain Reed and the kids did a pre-flight check,
I tried to make myself blend into the woodwork of the hangar
(there is virtually no wood in a hangar and nowhere to hide)
and snap some pics of this guy.
I won't mention his name on here and I really do not like
the sport in which he participates
but I had heard of him.
I heard that this dude had body guards and was cranky because
he was supposed to have drivers for the rented SUVs.
This area is his stomping grounds and apparently
he is accustomed to having things a certain way.
Now. I've never seen this dude.
Correction. I hadn't seen this dude,
until a few days ago when I saw his photo in the newspaper.
And this ain't him!
I suppose it was his size,
and what I "thought" someone who did this sport
would look like.
I smiled whenever one of his buds looked my way,
hoping they would think I was a nice lady,
star struck and was not going to go home
and post pics all over the Internet.
I caught him groomin' his hair.
He just wasn't the right dude.
I'm thinking he might be the dude in green.
If you see him in any of these pics, please comment
as I really want to know that my sneaking efforts paid off.
His last name starts with H.
Sooooo. That was my job.
All that was required of me was to sit in the very nicely decorated
and stocked waiting area and enjoy all the amenities that my stomach
could handle.
Captain Reed was a gracious host and excellent teacher,
helping ease AJ into her first flight and imparting
all the knowledge he could in a limited amount of time.
The plan entailed AJ flying out first,
heading west to the shoreline and follow it north to Muskegon.
Captain Reed would take off and land,
with his co-pilots taking control once in the air.
The Cesna 182 Skylane was equipped with a G1000,
a glass cockpit instead of steam gauges,
headsets for all and a pillow for those who are still growing.
No iTunes.
AJs seat had needed to be in it most upright and forward
position to accommodate Nathans size "large" combat boots.
Just me and my coffee now.
The ride to the lake shore included flying up the beach line, over the USS Silversides submarine and some basics on turning and speed for AJ.
The landing in Muskegon was a bit rocky due to turbulence.
As they left Muskegon coming south, Captain Reed asked where we live
and proceeded to let Nathan fly down our shoreline and indeed circling
right over our house, practicing some of his flying skills.
I later suggested that he come down low over the horses to make them run.
Maybe not.
The ride back east was fraught with a bit more turbulence.
And I'm told the back seat does not provide
the same protection against such turbulence.
Thanks so much to Captain Reed
and Civil Air Patrol for a great experience. And birthday ride.
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