The Wild Blue Yonder

Hello everyone, sorry I’ve not been posting much lately.

We had company since last Tuesday night so I took off work from Wednesday afternoon until this morning. The weather was nice the whole time they were here. A couple of days were really warm and sunny and the rest still nice, just not quite so hot. We ate like kings the whole 5 days…Dungeness crab, salmon ravioli, pasta salad (made with lots of my cherry tomatoes), home baked bread, antipasto, corn on the cob, berry crisp with ice cream…not all at once of course (lol). All made by hub, cleanup by yours truly. Oh, and lots of beer, wine and cocktails. And there wasn’t much working out either.

I did go on my Fighter Pilot gig last Thursday. When hub and I and our friend arrived at the airfield office, the first thing they did was introduce me to my “co-pilot” (I loved my CP "Bluto"...he was a real gentleman) and my "opponent" (I’ll call him M) who was just someone like me and would be the "pilot" in another plane. After M and I signed waivers and got fitted with flight suits, they put us through “flight school.”

First our instructors explained that the objective was to "shoot down your opponent" (all done with lasers and fake smoke). So far so good. Then it got scary. They actually talked to us about how to use our parachutes, and how to escape the aircraft in case something went wrong. Yes, they actually told us "pilots" how to open the hatch and crawl out on the wing…at which point you are supposed to leap clear of the plane. Yeah, right. Before that I had been fine, at this point my brain went into overdrive. Holy crap! I think I started hyperventilating a bit. Then they also covered the mundane…like…if you think you are going to throw up in flight, PLEASE be sure to use your barf bag. Ha Ha…

Then we went out to our planes and they explained some of the equipment in the planes. Uh oh, that plane is really small and so are the seats. It looks just a little bit rickety, too. And then Bluto helped me put on my parachute. After that I climbed into the plane at which point there were a few moments for photo ops…of course hub and his friend each took a ton of pictures.

My biggest fear, I think, was that I would throw up. Well, once the flight began, I didn’t throw up, didn’t even come close, of which I am quite proud! After we were in the air for a little while, Bluto had me take the stick and let me get used to keeping the plane level and making a few easy right and left turns. My hand was shaking the whole time. Then he told me to pull hard on the stick…at which point…we started to climb. And then...to push hard...and we went into a dive! And then a roll! OMG...I...am...flying a plane...UPSIDE DOWN!!!

The whole thing was very cool, except I was wearing a heavy helmet. So when we did some of the acrobatic stuff, including pulling the negative g’s as described on the website:

The Marchetti SF260 is a combat ready fighter/trainer. This amazing, fully aerobatic, high-performance aircraft is capable of withstanding the high G, three dimensional, aerobatic environment of the aerial combat arena…It boasts an extremely high roll-rate and exhibits cockpit characteristics similar to the F-16.

Well…the helmet increased in weight until I felt as if I had a hundred pounds pushing down on my head. Meanwhile, Bluto kept telling me to look around for M, my opponent, and try to shoot him before he shot me. Hell, I couldn’t even ever figure out where he was most of the time. I supposedly shot him once, but to be truthful, I think Bluto shot him for me. So after about 30 minutes in the air, I was ready to give the damn stick back to Bluto…Take me home, Bluto!

And after we landed...Let me tell you...Terra Firma never felt so good!

Afterwards, we were given a “de-briefing” and we got to watch our flights on tape (there is a camera in each cockpit that records your experience). Bluto kept telling me (and hub) what a great pilot I had been, what a natural I was, and how brave I was. None of it was true (after all, they want you to have a good experience so you'll tell others who will also want to do it), but it sure made hub proud…I thought he was going to pop the buttons off his shirt.

So, it was an awesome experience, and I’m glad I did it…and I did it on my dad's birthday! I hadn't thought of the specific date when I scheduled it, but during the flight it occurred to me that I was up there in heaven with him. Hi Dad! He always loved the fact that I was a tomboy, so he probably got a kick out of my doing this "macho" thing.

A few people have asked me if I now have aspirations to become a pilot. HELL NO! I did it once and that was enough. It’s now crossed off my bucket list. Every muscle in my body hurt afterwards, because I must have been so tensed up the whole time. And my neck…well, let’s just say I’ll be visiting my chiropractor a few times in the next week.

I hope everyone is enjoying what’s left of the summer. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal…catching up with my blogging friends…and I’m off to work out right now!

My trusty plane... Old Number 205

My opponent M & I making nice before we do battle...Grrrr

Just me & my bird

Yep, I'll be in the driver's seat...
complete with air sick bags in the pocket on the left

But before we go, Bluto helps me put on my parachute

Ready to go...Thumbs up!

Off we go into the wild blue yonder...

A Great Experience!