Dare to Fly
Maninder Kaur
“Cessna N43638, cleared for takeoff” replied a strong masculine voice. Those five words rang through my head as I advanced the throttles all the way to full. I am sixteen years old and I’m getting ready for my first flight exam. No, I am not a passenger. Instead I am the pilot. The plane is moving and I perform my visual check of the oil pressure and temperature outside on the runway to make sure it is indeed clear. My hands are shaking and I’m trying to collect my thoughts on what to do next. As the Airspeed Indicator indicates that I am quickly reaching up to 60 knots, I slowly pull back on the yoke.
The nose of the airplane rises, the wheels lift off the runway and within minutes I am in the sky. “That was a pretty smooth takeoff Capt. Kaur” says my instructor, Mr. Rey, who is sitting in the backseat. I smile but keep my eyes glued straight ahead. I don’t even have my driver’s license and yet here I am trying to get my student pilot license. For some reason, everything I learned on the simulator for the past month just flew out of my head and into the clouds. I must admit, though, the feeling is exhilarating to be able to have control of an airplane. I’m flying smoothly alongside Sunrise Highway on Long Island in full comfort. Not only was I sitting comfortably, but so was my professor. With his newspaper and coffee in hand, he smiled when I did a quick look to the backseat. I’m slowly flying over people’s backyards and SUNY Farmingdale. Was I really flying alone without any help? I looked over to the empty passenger seat next to me and realized indeed I was. I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I realized this is my airplane and I’m in charge of it. Everything seemed like it was out of a storybook. Never in a million years would I have ever imagined I would be flying a plane.
The weather is amazing and by now I’m relaxed and flying as if I am a professional pilot. My instructor says, “Okay Maninder, get ready to head back to Republic Airport and get ready to land.” His words make me jolt because for a minute or two I totally forgot his presence in the aircraft with me. I nod my head and turn the plane and head towards the Long Island Expressway, to follow it back to the airport. I’m halfway there when all of a sudden I hear a BOOM. I panic and think the engine shut off. I look at the Airspeed indicator to check the speed to see if it was decreasing but it was perfectly normal. I then proceed to look around the vicinity and then to my surprise I see dark clouds and rain crashing down. At this point my heart began to beat super-fast because this was the first time I was experiencing a flight in the rain. I frantically look back at my professor with a look of despair. He laughs and tells me to continue ahead with my flight and to turn on the wipers. I quickly turn the wipers on and head as quickly as possible towards the airport. The winds begin to pick up and my little Cessna is shaking, and so am I. This is what they call in aeronautic terms, homing. Homing is when the wind is blowing you away. My poor little heart was pounding so fast I thought I was about to catch a heart attack. Through the harsh rain and light thunder I can see the towers for Republic Airport. My heart begins to calm down and I can’t help but whisper, "thank god". I quickly call in the tower, “Republic Tower this is Cessna November 43638 over North Port Stacks requesting landing”. I wait a few seconds which seems like eternity when I hear that familiar masculine voice respond, “Cessna November 43638 report left downwind runway 32, cleared to land.”
Within minutes I’m close to the runway and I level out the plane and decelerate to an airspeed of 55 knots. I look over at the runway to align with it and within minutes the 55 knots are down to 30. In an instant my wheels smoothly hit the pavement of the runway as my Cessna drives down the runway. I hear a burst of clapping coming from the back seat as my professor excitedly exclaims how perfect and smooth my landing was. I ride the plane into the hanger and park it quickly, turning off the ignition and taking off my headset. I open the cockpit door and jump out with a huge smile on my face. Mr. Rey comes out the plane as well and quickly comes over and high fives me as he signs off my final hours. I have officially completed my exam and I am a certified student pilot. I couldn’t help but smile as I headed up to the building to get my picture taken for my license. Once everything is done I quickly sit down and relax on the sofa while waiting for my professor. Within ten minutes Mr. Rey is sitting next to me and glorifying the whole flight experience. “I still cannot believe how well you handled the whole situation Maninder, you cease to amaze me with your flying skills”, he excitedly tells me. I can’t help but grin, “Thank you so much for all the time and dedication you put into helping me accomplish this Professor Rey, and I couldn’t have done it without you.”
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The Lufthansa A380 slowly emerges in the sky and within seconds it is flying over me, ready to land at JFK Airport. My heart beats fast and I cannot keep my eyes off that beautiful bird. Within seconds behind it is Qatar Airways' beautiful A777, but before I can take in its glorious view the light turns green and, not wanting to hold up traffic, I continue with my drive. It’s been four years since I’ve flown a plane, but my obsession with airplanes and aviation hasn’t gone away. For it is true what Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return.”
© 2012 Maninder Kaur
© 2012 Maninder Kaur