By the time I got to cash in this reward, I forgot what it was specifically for which I was rewarding myself. A review of my journal tells me that it was more about an extra-good paycheck landing at a moment where I was deep in The Odd Couple and hoping to have some pleasure to anticipate for after closing. I didn’t know at the time that I would be rolling into Dracula before Couple was even closed.
Flying an airplane costs a little bit more than a two-hour spa indulgence, but truthfully, Jimmy – not all that much more. Full disclosure – my “Discovery Flight” at The California Flight Center cost $189. No tax. These days that’s about what a couple would spend on a day at Disneyland; and Heather and I have ridden Space Mountain before.
The experience lasted about two hours, soup-to-nuts. Our pilot asked Heather and I to reveal our weight, then quizzed me briefly beforehand about how complete an experience I wanted. Apparently some people don’t want to go through the whole pre-flight checklist and walk-around with him. I think those fools aren’t getting all they paid for.
Then it was out to the plane, which he towed onto the runway by hand. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is still basically the same design as it was when it was introduced in 1955, sturdy and comfortingly analog. Everything is connected by cables. The stall warning is an air whistle built into the wing.
The pilot handled the takeoff and the initial climb. But not long after we followed the LA River down to Long Beach Harbor and passed over the Queen Mary and the famous Spruce Goose hanger, he invited me to put my hands on the controls in front of me. And so for the next half-hour, I flew. Once I accepted that the plane wasn’t going to explode and dive the second I touched the controls, I got the most ecstatic dumb-ass grin on my face and it stayed on my face for as long as my hands were on the stick. I climbed, I banked, I practiced circling a landmark on the ground. I followed the coastline, flew over Donald Trump’s golf course in Palos Verdes. The pilot told me that in formal training, he would often cut the engine here and put his student through the paces of setting up an emergency golf course landing.
Here is what I learned about flying almost immediately upon doing it. While there are more controls and instruments to stay aware of when operating a plane, once you are aware of them, what’s in front of you is…sky. There’s no bumper to brake for. The truth is that you wouldn’t ask the most insane stunt pilot on Earth to deal with the number and variety of obstacles and moving objects that we deal with on our daily commute. An average American highway is often too much like the damn asteroid field in The Empire Strikes Back.
So if you can master the controls, coordinate pedals and stick and dials, and get your feel for the winds and your instinct for the horizon, you can let go of that sense you get in heavy traffic where death is charging at you from every direction while you lurch from speed to stop over and over again. It is…soothing. It is wonderful. This is not the last time I will do this.
We never climbed higher than about 3,000 feet, and did much of our maneuvering at 1,000, so frequent and awesome detailed views of the earth below were part of the experience. On final approach, we basically followed Alamitos Avenue up through downtown towards the airport. The pilot took the controls back, descended, landed, then towed the Skyhawk back into the line of planes.
You can study for a pilot’s license at any pace you like. The basic license will probably cost in the range of $5-7,000, and can be done in less than a month if you feel like cramming, although a few months is more common. It lasts for life. Then there are instrument ratings and the other extras that expand your ability to fly in less-than-ideal conditions; you’ll spend a lot more months and dollars before you can actually chase that second star to the right; or charge money for your skills.
But you know when something has burrowed deep into your head. Now, when I’m stuck in gridlock, it doesn’t take long to think – I’d rather be flying.
Pictures below the cut
You can’t see my grip from this angle, but I do not want to let go of the fun
I have driven through this traffic circle on many occasions. This is the most relaxing route
The air is the best place to view that spiral path to the lighthouse
Heather acts as in-flight photographer
It’s a little new to be almost as tall as the vehicle that takes me into the sky.