Elizabatic
I had one of the best days of my life today. I have always wanted to try aerobatic flying and today my dream came true. Dave from my Recreational Aircraft Association took me up in his Skybolt.
We started with a briefing on how I would be strapped in - good thing since it was an open cockpit. We then went over what to expect from the G forces and how to deal with them. I'm glad we had this lesson as I ended up putting it to good use! He used a model airplane to show me the maneuvers we would be doing. I felt like such a dork during the briefing as I was so excited and couldn't stop smiling. After doing his pre-flight inspection and answering my nine million questions, he assisted me into my seat and helped strap me in. Once I was firmly belted into place with my headset on, I informed Dave that I had to pee. I then told him I was kidding and that was my attempt at "aerobatic humour". He cranked up the engine - what a beautiful sound! We were airborne within seconds of barreling down the runway. He held us just off the ground until we picked up enough speed, then he made a very abrupt ascent toward the clouds. It was such a rush. In order to make me feel confident in my harness, he flew us inverted for a few seconds. As soon as we were upside-down, he had me place my hands on my head to prove that I wasn't going anywhere. I do believe it was from this point on that I threw my hands up in the air after every single maneuver, because I was having the time of my life! I was constantly giving him a double thumbs up (he sat in the seat behind me) to let him know I was feeling fine with everything. He took me through a slew of insanely enjoyable moves and actually did a few more than we planned, because I was enjoying it so much. We hit almost 6 G's during one of his final maneuvers, which is when I put my G force coping technique into play! It was a good thing too since I was starting to feel a little funny as the G's peaked, and I started to get tunnel vision. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am certainly going to seriously consider purchasing an aerobatic-capable aircraft in a few years. Dave informed me there are aircraft that are good for both aerobatic and "regular" flights. Thanks again Dave, if you're reading this!
If you want to see what aerobatic flying looks like, check out this video: Aerobatics
After my flight of a lifetime, my mother, Chuck and I went to the Mandarin for dinner. This is when I told them about my amazing experience. They both seemed so happy for me. Yea! I think I was still talking about it after they carted our bloated, stuffed bellies out of the restaurant. *burp*
Today's symptoms: After recovering from my three day migraine and taking a couple days to get my strength back, I was feeling pretty decent today! I'm completely knackered after today's excitement, but it's worth it beyond what I can describe with words.
We started with a briefing on how I would be strapped in - good thing since it was an open cockpit. We then went over what to expect from the G forces and how to deal with them. I'm glad we had this lesson as I ended up putting it to good use! He used a model airplane to show me the maneuvers we would be doing. I felt like such a dork during the briefing as I was so excited and couldn't stop smiling. After doing his pre-flight inspection and answering my nine million questions, he assisted me into my seat and helped strap me in. Once I was firmly belted into place with my headset on, I informed Dave that I had to pee. I then told him I was kidding and that was my attempt at "aerobatic humour". He cranked up the engine - what a beautiful sound! We were airborne within seconds of barreling down the runway. He held us just off the ground until we picked up enough speed, then he made a very abrupt ascent toward the clouds. It was such a rush. In order to make me feel confident in my harness, he flew us inverted for a few seconds. As soon as we were upside-down, he had me place my hands on my head to prove that I wasn't going anywhere. I do believe it was from this point on that I threw my hands up in the air after every single maneuver, because I was having the time of my life! I was constantly giving him a double thumbs up (he sat in the seat behind me) to let him know I was feeling fine with everything. He took me through a slew of insanely enjoyable moves and actually did a few more than we planned, because I was enjoying it so much. We hit almost 6 G's during one of his final maneuvers, which is when I put my G force coping technique into play! It was a good thing too since I was starting to feel a little funny as the G's peaked, and I started to get tunnel vision. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am certainly going to seriously consider purchasing an aerobatic-capable aircraft in a few years. Dave informed me there are aircraft that are good for both aerobatic and "regular" flights. Thanks again Dave, if you're reading this!
If you want to see what aerobatic flying looks like, check out this video: Aerobatics
After my flight of a lifetime, my mother, Chuck and I went to the Mandarin for dinner. This is when I told them about my amazing experience. They both seemed so happy for me. Yea! I think I was still talking about it after they carted our bloated, stuffed bellies out of the restaurant. *burp*
Today's symptoms: After recovering from my three day migraine and taking a couple days to get my strength back, I was feeling pretty decent today! I'm completely knackered after today's excitement, but it's worth it beyond what I can describe with words.
Never one to accept the ordinary.
I don't ever think about what will be coming next! I just know that it'll be a'comin'!!!!!!!
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It was great fun to take Elizabeth for an aerobatic flight. The best part of flying is taking people with you!
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