The plane was small. Not the ideal platform for those who complain about legroom in economy class. The seats were cramped and uncomfortable and the doors only loosely held onto their hinges. However, the form factor did nothing but fuel my excitement for the ensuing journey. Before stepping foot inside though, I met with my instructor to review our flight plan and discuss other preparations for the flight. With our verbal recap complete, we began inspecting the striped white and red plane for any signs of damage or obstructions. We lifted the ailerons and checked the cables and connectors as well as checked the fuel and the oil.

With our walk-around complete, we climbed inside and began to read through the start-up checklist. It was like a game of call and response. “Parking brake,” 

“Set,”

“Mixture,”

“Rich,”

“Battery,”

“On,” And so on and so forth. Finally, it was time to turn the key. Rotating in a clockwise manner, the key clicked on the two magnetos, then on to the starter. The engine roared to life and the plane began to rumble. We hadn’t even moved an inch at this point and I was already high on dopamine.

After calling air traffic control for clearance, we taxied the plane to the runway and my instructor gave me the controls. We lined up with the runway’s white, dashed centerline and took one final look at the environment around us from the ground. I gripped the yoke with my left hand and placed my right on the throttle. As I pushed the throttle in, the engine grew louder and louder, rumbling the plane even more than before. Using the rudder pedals, I kept the plane going in a straight line.

At 65 knots (approx. 74 mph), I began to pull back on the yoke. It was heavy; almost feeling like a rowing machine. I could feel as the wind was fighting against the elevator on the rear of the plane. As soon as the tires left the ground, the wind began to express its anger as it tossed us around, left and right, up and down. 

The feeling I felt was the literal and physical encapsulation of the phrase, “feeling like you're flying”. 

It was instant joy and serotonin. After climbing to 2500 feet, we leveled off and headed for Lake Triadelphia. I recall staring at the short, stubby wings keeping us in the air. An absolute marvel of human invention. 

We arrived at the lake with the scorching sun blinding us through the windshield.  We did a few circles, practicing good technique in the turns by adding slight rudder movement along with the ailerons to keep the plane in a controlled state. The beautiful blue water looked so different from above in such an incredible way. The feeling of freedom is plentiful when the world around you gets so small.

As we headed back to the airport, my instructor offered me the opportunity to experience weightlessness. Of course, I excitedly agreed. He took the controls and began to bring the plane a bit higher. Suddenly, he pushed forwards on the yoke, bringing the plane plummeting straight down before smoothly pulling back out of it. It felt like a roller coaster drop without the actual roller coaster. A rush of adrenaline swept over me as I saw the ground get closer and closer. As fun as that was, it had certainly made me a tiny bit nauseous so we decided not to go again. The rest of the flight to the airport was short but full of a million different wonderful thoughts. 

We landed the plane and brought it to its spot on the ramp. Filled with optimism and bliss, I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to fly for the rest of my life.