Yikes! The summer is almost over...I have done very little artwork, but I have had fun. I am copying a story I wrote following an experience I had last week. This photo doesn't tell it all, but it does give you a preview...
I have just returned from an amazing afternoon. Thanks to Hunter Harris of Aloft Biplane Rides I went on a tour of Talbot County at a speed of 110mph.
Hunter and I had been talking about taking a flight in his open cockpit biplane. The conditions were just right today. Beautiful blue skies and perfect temperature (not too hot as it has been for most of the summer). I got the phone call a little before 3:00. We were in the air a little after 4:00.
I had had hip replacement surgery in the past few months so getting into the plane was a little challenging. But I was determined and, with a little help, was in the plane.
Before taking off, there are a lot of important safety issues to keep in mind:
· strapping in with a harness and seat belt,
· putting on the helmet and adjusting to hear when the motor is on (it can be noisy without it),
· which button to press to talk,
· which pedals NOT to step on (the red ones),
· stay out of the way of the stick,
· be sure to look out the right side of the plane when taking of and landing (the pilot looks out the left side – don’t block his view),
· don’t use your phone to take pictures (It might blow away in the 110mph wind)
to name just a few things!
Soon we were through the checklist, talking to the tower and headed down the runway.
There is something magical about going down a runway and lifting off in a small plane. I could ‘feel’ that very moment when we left the ground – suddenly untethered to the earth. There was a real sense of freedom as we rose in the air, leaving behind the ‘cares of the world.’ As we climbed, the air/wind welcomed me into another world.
This world is ‘from the top.’ The tops of trees, houses, roads, boats, and water – so much water. As we flew over the rivers and creeks, I was struck by the beauty of the boats leaving various white ‘V’ wakes in the water.
We ‘waved’ at a pleasure craft and circled over a few houses whose residents waved back. There were lots of cars at Perry Cabin with perhaps a wedding in process. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum also looked busy on land and water.
We circled my house on Broad Creek a couple of times allowing me to get a true ‘birds-eye’ view.
I saw the power of waves, erosion, and climate change as we flew over what was once an island – only one tree still standing. There is sadness about what once was…our changing Bay.
Flying over the Oxford area we saw three or four log canoes being towed home after the day’s races. So many things that we have all seen from the ground now coming to life from above.
I enjoyed my pilot, Hunter’s, dialogue as he pointed out several specific points of interest, but he also left quiet time for me just to take it all in. The magic of the moments in time.
And then it was time to head back to the airport… I remembered to watch out of the right side of the plane so Hunter could see out of the left side. We touched down softly. I was reconnected to the earth.
However, my disappointment in having to land was quickly pushed aside by the thankful feeling of a magic afternoon. I will continue to treasure this sense of being a part of something and apart from it at the same time.
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