My first flying lesson. I sat in the cockpit barely able to see the runway past the dizzying panel of instruments before me. Air speed, altimeter, attitude, aileron, flaps, rudder, fuel flow, trim...crosswinds, crabbing, thermals. So much to remember. I had weaved down the taxiway like a drunken snake, steering the Skyhawk with my feet. The radio chatter was gibberish. I turned to my instructor. "You have full control here, right?" His smile was reassuring. He'd done this a million times. We set off down the runway picking up speed and in one weightless, breathtaking moment we lifted into the wild blue. There is no room for fear when your wings are spread wide riding the invisible currents.

The sun skipped across the October skies. The tilted morning light scattered diamonds across the mirror of lake. Braided ropes of golden sand twisted through the river that cradles the city....a silent totem rising from the vast prairie.

I took my turn in the back, camera in hand, snapping away as our plane cast its shadow across the abstract land, boundaries blurred. My spirits soared with the wind as we banked towards the edge of the sky.   ~sophia

DiscoveryFlight_KSL-001.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-002.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-003.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-004.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-005.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-006.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-007.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-008.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-009.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-010.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-011.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-012.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-013.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-014.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-015.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-016.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-017.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-018.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-020.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-021.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-022.jpg








Wild Blue

October 29, 2010

My first flying lesson. I sat in the cockpit barely able to see the runway past the dizzying panel of instruments before me. Air speed, altimeter, attitude, aileron, flaps, rudder, fuel flow, trim...crosswinds, crabbing, thermals. So much to remember. I had weaved down the taxiway like a drunken snake, steering the Skyhawk with my feet. The radio chatter was gibberish. I turned to my instructor. "You have full control here, right?" His smile was reassuring. He'd done this a million times. We set off down the runway picking up speed and in one weightless, breathtaking moment we lifted into the wild blue. There is no room for fear when your wings are spread wide riding the invisible currents.

The sun skipped across the October skies. The tilted morning light scattered diamonds across the mirror of lake. Braided ropes of golden sand twisted through the river that cradles the city....a silent totem rising from the vast prairie.

I took my turn in the back, camera in hand, snapping away as our plane cast its shadow across the abstract land, boundaries blurred. My spirits soared with the wind as we banked towards the edge of the sky.   ~sophia

DiscoveryFlight_KSL-001.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-002.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-003.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-004.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-005.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-006.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-007.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-008.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-009.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-010.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-011.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-012.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-013.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-014.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-015.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-016.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-017.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-018.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-020.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-021.jpgDiscoveryFlight_KSL-022.jpg









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Comments
Jessica says:

Awesome pictures!! Very cool. Although I still don't know how I feel about it. :)

 (10.29.10 @ 10:11 PM)