4th of July Family Flying Fun

There was a time when I used to blog about my flights almost as soon as I was done tying down the airplane.  Those of you out there with small children will understand that, well, things change once you have them!  And while it is mostly for the better, there are days when I find myself gazing skyward and wishing that I had a few more hours of recent TOLs under my belt so that I could pile the family into a Cessna 172 and we could ... just ... go ... fly ... somewhere. 

  

As it is, I now have to find creative ways to go flying on a whim.  Fortunately, with one of my best friends also being my former flight instructor, I usually have a ready co-pilot at almost a moment's notice.  And when he's off at officer's training camp for four months, I'm fortunate to be a member of an amazing flying club (the Congressional Flying Club at KGAI) that has several other CFIIs who are also usually game to go flying on a moment's notice. 

 

So it was in July, when my husband's inlaws were visiting from Michigan, and it suddenly occurred to us that neither Dick, Nikki or Holly had been flying in a small plane.  With Fenati acting as co-pilot, I decided to change all that. 



Of course, before we could go flying, we had to pose for some pictures.

It was getting hot on the tarmac by the time I got the plane prepped, and it was even hotter in the plane.  I also knew from my weather briefing that the visibility over Harper's Ferry wasn't going to be great, but sometimes it's not about how great the views are, it's about how great the sensation of flight is.

 

I'm not sure why, but I didn't take a picture of Dick and Holly from inside the plane.  (Something about trying to fly the airplane?!)  Fortunately, Rich was manning the camera (and our two children, with a little help from Grams) on the ground and snapped the above as we rolled past.  You can see Holly peeking out of the back with her headset on.  Never one to miss a Top Gun reenactment moment, you can see my Thumbs-UP as we rolled past too.

 

 
Although there was a little extra sweat running down my face from the exhilaration of being back behind the yoke, for the most part it felt like coming home.  My club had sold my former favorite 172 while I had been on my second baby flying hiatus, but I've learned to love Bravo Alpha, almost as much as her sister, Romeo, in whom I soloed over KDMW four+ years earlier.  It's a quick 45 minute run out over Harper's Ferry and back.  Perfect for new passengers.  Although Holly began to feel a little queasy on the ride back to KGAI, she and Dick were all smiles as they piled out of the plane. 


Next up were Grams and Isabelle.
 

 
This was Isabelle's third flight in a small plane and her Grams' first.  Whether it was the relatively new experience or the fact that Isabelle was approaching nap time, I'm not sure, but she started to cry as I did my run-up.  With Grams' headset and Mummy's voice in her ears, however, she soon quieted down.  The thumb always seems to help too! 

Soon we were on our way for one more scenic flight over Harper's Ferry.

 

 I know Grams took several pictures of the views on her camera.  Perhaps I will try and find those before I publish this Blog, or perhaps you'll just have to refer back to the enumerable other "first flights" I've done during which I've flown over Harper's Ferry.  This flight, and indeed this Blog, are not so much about the destination, but the pleasure (and pride) in being able to introduce new people, not to mention family members (and two of them women!) to the joys of GA. 

 

It's on my bucket list to fly us all out to Michigan one of these summers.  That, of course, will require me being more proficient than I am currently.  However, once our weekends no longer revolve around nap schedules, I should be able to manage a few more hours of TOL.  Here's hoping, anyhow! 

 

Next on the bucket list, however, is taking Taven up for his first flight. 

 

Stay tuned!