“Some day we will find what we are looking for – or maybe not.
Maybe we’ll find something much greater than that.” -unknown
Flying in the early morning always lifts your spirit. It makes you feel happy all day long. (Try it, you’ll like it!) I feel like the luckiest person that I have an instructor who also likes to fly in the mornings. (Well, he loves to fly almost anytime – you just can’t wipe that smile off his face! He’s easy going like that.) You would think that other instructors would be out with students seeing the beautiful sunrises, but, no, we’re the only ones out there. Dreamers.
There is another reason that I thoroughly enjoy flying with Roger (besides him being cool and fun). I put my complete trust in his abilities and in him. Sometimes I read about plane accidents with a student and an instructor. But, instead of getting scared, I always feel enormously blessed to have the instructor that I do. He’s extremely well-trained and has experience – he knows his stuff. He not only teaches you all the things you need to know, he also teaches you the steps to correct the errors you may make. You’re human, you will make mistakes as you learn. He teaches you to think through your options. Safety first.
This morning, like most of our early morning flights, we go looking for the sunrise and beautiful scenery which we keep finding every single flight. I’ve never had a morning that disappointed me. I am always in awe of the gifts of nature – and Roger’s additional talent of capturing them. This morning was thrilling as you will see below in the photos. (Today I’m presenting them to you from the end of the flight back to the beginning of the morning. Please tell me what you think.)
As for landings, I had to approach Runway 24 from the left (controller gave that option) which was different than what I had done in the past. After we did numerous takeoffs and landings (and watching large planes, like Delta, departing – Wednesday mornings seem to be their busiest), we finally got the option of Runway 34 – my absolute favorite runway!! It’s the one closest to the mall there. It is PERFECT!
After doing two takeoffs and landings on 34, it was time to head for Blacksburg and to work, but not before Roger caught a few more shots.
I am so enormously excited about my next flight!!!
Fight for the fairy tale. It does exist! -Joy
Yeah runnin’ down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads
Runnin’ down a dream
-Tom Petty
Do you ever have a singer or a song that takes you back to another time and place? With Tom Petty, the place was High Falls in Jackson, GA (north of Macon). I lived in the suburbs of Atlanta then. On Saturdays, I would visit friends who had bought a big chunk of land in High Falls. They were professionals in Atlanta (who pooled together for investments). High Falls was a beautiful, interesting place. There were plummeting cascades on the Towaliga River. Life was very slow and easy there. You always showed up wearing shorts and a t-shirt – no one was there to impress, that was left behind in Atlanta. Tom Petty music was ALWAYS blasting down there. In the summer, on almost all occasions there would be smoked clams and margaritas; in the fall/winter, there were boiled peanuts (boiled Cajun to be exact) and hot buttered rum. And, let me not forget, there was almost always brains and eggs in the mornings. To hear of Tom Petty’s passing just made me enormously sad. He was an amazing, timeless musician.