Sue did something for my birthday that I've wanted to try for years but never took the time to: she set up my first flying lesson! A friend of ours is a pilot for Delta and gives flight training to aspiring pilots. He took me up this evening in his Cessna 150, a two-seat single-engine aircraft.
It was awesome! I had to steer the a/c with my feet while on the ground, which was very strange (he had to do a couple of hard turns to keep us straight :-), and then he let me do the take-off! He talked constantly (which was a good thing), telling me about what we were doing, what to look at and think about, and how I should feel and see while flying.
He had me do a left turn, and it was then that it hit me: I was up in the air! I looked down at the trees and cars, and it was awesome! I leveled out of the turn when he told me, and he continued talking. He complimented me, saying I was doing well for never having flown before (later he said I was very fluid and relaxed), and then had me make another left turn toward the airport. My turn was too slow, so we had to come in to the runway at an angle, and them he landed the plane.
What a thrill! I haven't smiled that much in a long time! I just couldn't help myself, it was so much fun that I just had to smile.
Thank you, Sue, for setting up such a wonderful gift! And thank you, Dan, for giving me my first flying lesson!