In the summer of 1992, I was a very unhappy person. Despite outward appearances, which looked like I had a perfect life, I felt that something was missing. I brought all of my emotions with me on a family vacation to the Adirondacks.
My son was 7 and my daughter was 3. We rented a cottage in a complex designed for families, complete with a playground in the center of everything.
One day when it rained a lot, we hopped in the car to explore the area. It wasn’t long before we came upon a large billboard that said: “Come Fly with Byrd.” An arrow directed us down the hill to a man who owned several seaplanes. Since neither of us had been on a seaplane and our children hadn’t been on any plane yet, we signed up for a 17 minute flight over mountains, lakes and trees, for a mere $40.
Dan was eager to sit in the front. He was a “numbers kid” who always had an endless stream of questions. I sat in the back, secretly wishing I was in the front.
We went up over a very majestic scene. Then something surprising happened. Time stopped, voices faded away and all I could feel was this new experience of deep other worldly peace. Details and worries disappeared in the sky. The sky was too large for these little things. I noticed that I was rendered speechless, which is very unusual for me. Going up in the seaplane affected the very core of my being. The freedom of the sky touched my soul permanently.
After we landed and thanked the pilot, I told my husband that I didn’t know what just happened but I needed to have it again. He suggested that I go to the local airport and sign up for an intro flight. He explained that I could sit on the left side of the plane and work the controls. I looked at him like he was crazy. I did not consider myself courageous back then.
A few weeks later, when I was in my aerobics class, I looked at the sky. The sky is an entirely different blue in September. When I looked at it and remembered being in it, I felt a huge ache in my gut and knew I had to fly. Right after class, I drove over to the airport, found an instructor and signed up for an intro flight a week later. Ironically, the instructor had the same last name as me.
On September 16, 1992, when I felt the plane lift and saw the horizon shift, the foundation of my life fell away.
In level flight, I looked around and felt that other worldly peace again. I also felt a separation from all things mundane. Being in the sky offers a much wider perspective on life. My mind cleared and my body relaxed. As I began to maneuver the plane, I noticed that I felt comfortable flying. This ease, peace and joy helped me to decide to continue flying. Five days later I had my first official lesson.
Taking flying lessons was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Suddenly, I had something I was very excited about. My children watched their mom dance around when the weather was clear for my next lesson. One day it was -4 degrees when I arrived at the airport. We had to wait for the temperature to go up to zero, so the plane could warm up, before taking off.
When I flew, I became a better parent because I no longer hovered over my children. I now had a passion of my own.
Flying put my other fears into perspective. I grew up with two very fearful, overprotective parents, so there was much work to do in this area of my life.
I remember standing at the sink one winter morning brushing my teeth, wearing my ski bibs, feeling nervous. It was the first day of slalom racing at Bromley Mountain. Then I realized “you fly a plane, why are you worried about skiing?” The fear vanished instantly.
Flying also helped me to develop more trust. I had to trust my instructor, the plane and myself. My instructor made this easy because early on, he told me something very important. He said “there isn’t anything you can do to this plane, that I cannot undo.” I was able to trust him completely, when he said this.
Trusting the plane was a little harder. When you take lessons, you need to practice stalls. It is a very daunting experience of pulling back on the yoke so much, that you disrupt the flow of air that supports the plane, causing it to nosedive. I am not particularly strong, so it took a lot for me to pull back on the yoke this much. While I did it, my heart pounded and adrenalin ran hot through my arms. The moment came and the nose dove. And then the plane started to right itself. Each time I finished practicing stalls, I felt more alive than I’ve ever felt in my life. It was one of the most courageous things I have ever done!
The best day of my life was when I did 6 landings. My instructor talked me through the first 4 and then he said you can do it. I didn’t feel the confidence he had in me and so I said “no, I can’t.” He said “yes, you can” and this went on for a bit. Then he stopped talking and I did 2 landings by myself. He said they were good.
Once the lesson was done, he said we could fly anywhere I wanted. I chose to fly over Woodford and Somerset Lake; over mountains, lakes and trees, just like that day in the Adirondacks, when a 17 minute seaplane ride changed my life.
9/1/15