First in flight

Saturday, 6:15 AM: Wake up

7:20 AM: Depart for KSCH (Schenectady County Airport)

7:51 AM: Arrive at Richmor Aviation (Creative slogan: "Let's go fly.")

7:55 AM: Preflight inspection of the Piper aircraft in which I will have my first taste of flying an airplane. 

 

~8:26 AM: Wheels up, headed for Barnes Municipal Airport (KBAF), just west of Springfield, MA.

~8:36 AM: Mike takes the controls and executes what some observers have dubbed "the best inaugural flight in the history of modern aviation."

Even Kevin couldn't contain his joy at the supple flight experience!

~9:15 AM: Some 35 miles later, Mike reluctantly relinquishes controls to flight instructor, thereby ensuring that all aboard arrive on the ground intact.

~9:20 AM: All aboard arrive on the ground intact at KBAF.

~9:25 AM: The Piper taxis gracefully across the tarmac to our important destination: breakfast restaurant.

~9:30-10:30AM: Kevin and Mike (dressed identically by chance, to much embarrassment), continue to embarrass themselves and the flight instructor by ordering identical breakfasts (Western omelette with orange juice).

~10:40 AM: Freshly fueled, the crew departs for KSCH.  

~10:41 AM: The stormscope (aka really funky 60s-era technology that makes you feel like you're actually in an old submarine movie) indicates lightning in the general direction that we're flying.  Fortunately, however, the Albany control tower disagrees, and we forge onward.

~10:42-11:30 AM: Mass chaos alternates with general pandemonium as Kevin takes the controls.  Short excerpt from cockpit voice recorder transcript: "Pull up Kevin!  Not that much!!!  We're speeding up-slow down!   [Loud alarm noise]  Give me the controls!!!! My airplane!!!!!"  Amongst the pandemonium, Kevin forgets to watch the controls and notices something incredible: our house!  We flew right over at 3,500 feet!

~11:35: White-faced, the crew lands smoothly in Schenectady, and after refueling, leaves the airport until another mission.  

By the way, did I forget to mention that we got to see our town from unfamiliar angles?  

Here is downtown Albany (from above).

Here are the Cohoes Falls (on the Mohawk River, which flows west/east through our town).

Here is the Albany Airport!

Here is Siena College (from above)!

And Shaker High School (my alma mater).

In short, this flight (my first time at the controls, and Kevin's second) was fantastic!  It is one of very few experiences (along with sailing, watching a thunderstorm, hearing a symphony orchestra tune, and a few others) that are even more incredible than you can possibly imagine, and I hope to be lucky enough to do this many more times!  

Also, I guess Kevin wasn't really that bad of a pilot.