Flight of faith
In honor of Mike getting his pilot's license, yesterday we went on--and survived!--our first family flight. Mike was our pilot and we flew from San Carlos to Half Moon Bay and back. Our original plan was to land at Half Moon Bay then walk to get ice cream, but some turbulence meant it would have been a bumpy landing. Mike decided to spare us the teeth-clenching excitement on our very first flight with our newly-licensed pilot. Instead, we turned around and flew back to San Carlos. And then we drove our car to get ice cream.
The flight was relatively uneventful--in a good way--except for the wind that came off the coastal mountain range as we flew into and around Half Moon Bay. Bouncing around in a tiny plane over the Pacific Ocean, one can't help but think about the watery deaths of guys like John Denver and John F. Kenney, Jr.. Rest in peace, dudes.
I'll admit it: I was scared.
But what is a life without fright? A sorry one, that's for sure. Besides, "your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million. On the other hand, your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5000. Statistically, you are at far greater risk driving to the airport than getting on an airplane."
So there. Just keep repeating that statistic to yourself the whole time you're up in the air and you'll be fine.
And of course, when we weren't bouncing around like a Jack-in-the-box and my stomach wasn't lodged in my throat, the experience was really cool. Yesterday the skies were blue and it was warm and clear. It was fun to fly over all of the cars of people driving like maniacs to get to the shopping malls for Black Friday deals. I'm so proud of Mike for having the tenacity to stick with his flight training and get his license.
Pictures on Flickr. Happy day after Black Friday!
The flight was relatively uneventful--in a good way--except for the wind that came off the coastal mountain range as we flew into and around Half Moon Bay. Bouncing around in a tiny plane over the Pacific Ocean, one can't help but think about the watery deaths of guys like John Denver and John F. Kenney, Jr.. Rest in peace, dudes.
I'll admit it: I was scared.
But what is a life without fright? A sorry one, that's for sure. Besides, "your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million. On the other hand, your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5000. Statistically, you are at far greater risk driving to the airport than getting on an airplane."
So there. Just keep repeating that statistic to yourself the whole time you're up in the air and you'll be fine.
And of course, when we weren't bouncing around like a Jack-in-the-box and my stomach wasn't lodged in my throat, the experience was really cool. Yesterday the skies were blue and it was warm and clear. It was fun to fly over all of the cars of people driving like maniacs to get to the shopping malls for Black Friday deals. I'm so proud of Mike for having the tenacity to stick with his flight training and get his license.
Pictures on Flickr. Happy day after Black Friday!
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