This blog will be a Happy Birthday page to Allan. 
He is now 14. Last December I bought a 'Groupon' for $99 for a chance to fly a plane at Westwind Aeronautic Flight School in Deer Valley. The person would have to sit in a simulator 
(lam-o....a room with 3 desks with 3 chairs...yeah, didn't work for me) for about 30 minutes and then get to go into the plane. It was supposed to be an hour of flight -but Allan's ended up being about 45 minutes. I think the guy was ready to call it a day.
He is now 14. Last December I bought a 'Groupon' for $99 for a chance to fly a plane at Westwind Aeronautic Flight School in Deer Valley. The person would have to sit in a simulator 
(lam-o....a room with 3 desks with 3 chairs...yeah, didn't work for me) for about 30 minutes and then get to go into the plane. It was supposed to be an hour of flight -but Allan's ended up being about 45 minutes. I think the guy was ready to call it a day. Allan was, of course, treated to breakfast in bed and then our lam-o family tradition of grocery-sack wrapped gifts. Here were some of them: TGIF buffalo flavored chip sticks, a wind-up rubberband airplane, funny nose/uni-brow/glasses (I'm borrowing those for camp), another toy plane, candy, a birthday t-shirt and an envelope with a letter telling about the airplane flight. At first he didn't understand it, but after I talked him through it, he got excited about it. After school, I picked him up and the whole trip over to Deer Valley, a 50 minute drive, he kept asking, 'Are you sure I get to drive the plane'? 
It was a totally fantastic gift. Allan wants to be a pilot now. 
I'm all for that. I got to go in the plane and I was a little nervous because it was slightly - no, pretty much- a windy day. I had a small problem with nausea. No bags needed, but they were close by. Plane was tiny - I was nervous again. Thought of Nie-Nie. Now I'm really nervous. I asked the pilot if he were comfortable flying in this much wind. He had no problem. Yeah, but Allan was going to be allowed to drive. Hmm... still nervous.
It was a totally fantastic gift. Allan wants to be a pilot now. 
I'm all for that. I got to go in the plane and I was a little nervous because it was slightly - no, pretty much- a windy day. I had a small problem with nausea. No bags needed, but they were close by. Plane was tiny - I was nervous again. Thought of Nie-Nie. Now I'm really nervous. I asked the pilot if he were comfortable flying in this much wind. He had no problem. Yeah, but Allan was going to be allowed to drive. Hmm... still nervous.
I had a hard time uploading the video to my blog, so they ended up being on youtube. They are only about 45 seconds or less.
Oh - the exciting part was that Allan had control of the 'steering (?)' handle most of the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOnMDOoLQrM Taxiing down the runway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDNhjO4hwtk Making a turn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsR0Acn8Fhs Some of his flying.
By the end of the day, half of his letters had loosened and he felt the need to peel them off. It's funny how it still ended up being a true statement. Happy Birthday Allan. You have been a great and funny caboose. I love you.
1 comment:
WOW! What a gift....Lucky Kid...
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