The most thrilling of all my Cancer Journey bucket list
activities is flying. I started taking lessons nearly a year ago, and I’m now
addicted to soaring through the air. So far, I’ve had the pleasure of flying in
quite a few different airplane models, including a Light Sport Aircraft, Cessna
150, 152 and 182, a Piper Arrow, a Grumman Cheetah, and a Glassair 1. It’s my
latest quest—searching for new high-flying adventures.
When I learned about the Warbird rides offered at the Lone
Star Flight Museum in Galveston, I decided to check out their options. They
have a B-17 and a B-25 (bombers), a T-6 Texan and a T-41 Mescalero (Trainers).
But it didn’t take long for me to decide on the PT-17 Stearman Bi-Plane and
schedule a flight.
This model was built during the early 1940s for the U.S.
Army and Navy and was used as a primary trainer (PT) to train military pilots.
I was attracted, not only by its age and history, but the fact that it has an
open cockpit—a totally new experience for me.
The photo above shows me standing with my pilot, Carlos,
in front of the plane. Like me, he learned to fly at the Pearland Regional
Airport, but he started flying there more than 20 years ago when the airport
was known as Clover Field. And, like my current instructor, Jeff Kling, he owns
a couple of planes that he keeps in a hangar there.
Here we are at left all buckled in and ready to go.
I donned my official headset so I could communicate with the
pilot.
We flew out over the ocean, high above the Pleasure Pier in
Galveston, shown at left.
Carlos was aware that I’m a student pilot, and graciously
allowed me to control the airplane for a few minutes, making a few turns. The
power of the engine and responsiveness of the aircraft were both amazing.
Bi-planes are commonly used in aerobatic maneuvers. I HAVE to fly one of these
again soon!
During the flight, I noticed a small mirror installed in the
wing above my seat, apparently intended for the pilot to gauge his passenger’s
fear. In this case, I snapped a photo of myself. My hair whipping around wildly
in the wind was the only scary part of our entire flight!
After landing, it took me ten minutes to comb out all the
tangles, but it was well worth the effort. Flying in a bi-plane was a thrill I'll never forget!!!
Thank you, Carlos, for an incredible flight!
It was a gorgeous day for a high-flying adventure!
