Did I fly through the air incredibly, like a bird? Did partake in the miracle of human flight … I’m flying! It’s amazing! Everybody on every plane should just constantly be going: “Oh my God! Wow! I’m flying! I’m sitting in a chair, in the sky!”
— Louis CK
For the first time in many years, I did just that. I sat in a chair in the sky and experienced the miracle of flight. My cousin, Shawn (who is a pilot) was adventuring with his wife, Melaine, up in my neck of the woods this past June. He messaged me and said, “Hey, if you want to fly over Lake Michigan, I have reservations at 6pm and we have room for a fourth.” I was in the midst of yard work at The Camp. I told him that was about an hour and a half away and that I hadn’t flown in a long time, so I would see what I could do.
Cue internal monologue:
- Hmmm… a plane ride. That sounds adventuresome.
- Nah. I mean, I’m going to have to stop work early, clean everything up on this project and get all showered and stuff and rush to get up there. It’s already 2:30.
- It’s so small and today is so crazy hot.
- What if I get sick? It’s been years since I have flown.
- Dude. Stop. For real. When are you going to get a chance to take a free ride in a plane OVER FREAKING LAKE MICHIGAN?!
- Yeah. Good point.
- You know what? I’m going to do it. I’m just going to drive up and do it. And it’s going to be amazing.
And so… I did. And it was amazing.
I texted Shawn that I was coming up to meet them, and how much I weighed (which is important evidently in a small plane). Two hours later, I arrived at 5:45. Drove right up to the hanger and met Shawn and Melanie. It was so good to see him after many years and meet her for the first time. She said that even though she flies all the time with him, she still gets nervous, so we could be nervous together, haha! The plane was small and, since it was hot outside, it was also quite warm inside. Shawn had all his GoPros rolling, and after the safety checks were completed, we were on the move. Once we taxied out and lifted off the ground, it brought back all the memories of flying as a kid. It was such an incredible feeling to be gazing out those windows looking at the Holland area lake shore, the Saugatuck Dunes, and the vastness of Lake Michigan. Even up there you could not see the other side. After cruising around for a while, we landed and were able to catch the sunset … and it was just a fantastic day. I am glad that I chose to push through those initial hesitations and fears because it truly was a grand adventure!
As a kid growing up, I was privileged to experience the magic of flight many times. You see, our neighbors, the Johnsons, had an airplane. They lived in a farmhouse at the end of a 1/4 mile driveway that wound through the fields, and I thought they must be pretty wealthy. Their grey two-story house was really nice, they had an in-ground pool, a big barn, a nice big shiny station wagon… and an airplane. The Johnsons attended church with us and Mrs. Johnson would often watch us if mom needed to go somewhere. But periodically, Mr. Johnson would mention to Dad that if we wanted a ride in the plane, he was going up and we were welcome. Oh boy! My eyes would light up with hope. We were going to get to fly!
As a kid, this flying machine was a source of great wonder. I remember the first time I got to climb up into the bench seat and look over the sleek dashboard. To me it was like the most complicated thing I had ever sat in, with all the switches and dials and levers … and two steering wheels!
The plane was a red and white single engine 1947 Aeronca Chief that had room for two — the pilot and a passenger. The wings were overhead with two large wheels beneath and the tail was on the ground with a small wheel on it. We got buckled in and the engine started with a roar. We taxied down the long grass runway and started going faster and faster and then suddenly I feel us leave the earth and quickly we were going above the treetops and up and up and up! It was like nothing I had even experienced. We flew over my house and the village of Hagaman and then up toward Perth where my church and school was. We circled around the nearby bustling city of Amsterdam where I saw my grandparents house and the mighty Mohawk River. I remember saying how everything looked so clean and tidy from that height. The houses and fences in the city seemed so organized and in a grid. The fields and the woods were such vivid green, punctuated by the dark winding lines of the creeks and streams, and the country roads wound about like grey ribbons. Up in the air was like heaven, and I was the king of the world. Mr. Johnson let me steer the plane side-to-side and showed me how to pull the yoke back to go up and push it in to go down, which made me feel like I was the coolest person in the world. Over the years, we took a few rides in that plane. Eventually, Mr. Johnson got a newer 4 passenger plane. I forget if that was an Aeronca or not. Matt got to ride in that one more than I did because he and Todd Johnson were close friends and he was always over there.
In later years, another family in our church also had their own small airport with various planes, and they would give rides on special church picnic days. It was there I got to ride in a “bubble front” helicopter with open sides (possibly a Bell 47) and that was just the most incredibly smooth ride in the sky I have ever experienced.
Even though I grew up without a lot of the nice things that many people were privileged to have, I was able to do something that many kids never had an opportunity to do because of the kindness and generosity of good neighbors. All those great memories of flying in that vintage plane as a starry-eyed kid came rushing back as we flew over Lake Michigan last month.
These journeys filled me with such gratitude for the beauty, new perspective, the magic and the wonder of flight that I was able to experience. I am blessed. Because, oh my gosh… I was flying! I was sitting in a chair, in the sky!