~ First Flying Lesson ~

My first flying lesson was in September 1965 & this poem is what I remember about it.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

this must be such a special memory for you Carola! way back at the beginning ;) and where you are now not to mention all the in betweens ... i can easily understand the addiction ...i am surprised you were hands on for the take off and landing for your first lesson! i friend of mine took me up in a small plane once and i sat in the right hand seat ... once we were up he asked i i wanted to fly the plane .. sure says i! ;) i watched the display that tells if the wings are staying level and thought i was doing pretty darn good .. then he said well.... we dropped about 500 ft .. but not bad ... about 20 seconds had elapsed ... i said OK.... i'm done...you can take it back now :))))))))))))))))))
E.

[Carola]

thank you einstein for reading & reviewing.
sorry if it came across that i was hands on for the take-off.
during taxiing the instructor showed me how to steer & then allowed me to steer with the rudder pedals right onto the runway,. he then took over with the rudders & & control column did the take-off roll.
having said that however he did tell me to put (resting) my hands on the control column so i could feel what he was doing. something i also allowed my potential students to do when later on i started my career as an instructor. but it really depended on the person, ie. nervousness, eagerness etc. & i tailored the first lesson ('trial instructional flight') to suit each person.
so i guess my first instructor did the same to me, & you can have a reasonable idea by just allowing students to try ground steering if they have a 'flair' for it & whether they are going to have control problems i.e. over-controlling or under-controlling.
did you enjoy having a bit of hands-on flying with your friend ???
cheerio carola

[Einstein Noodle]

oh my goodness ..when he said we had dropped that much it terrified me ;) but i would do it again in a heartbeat ... maybe even try to correct my wayward flying .. to this day the impression of how sensitive those controls are puts me in awe of you and all pilots ... peace and joy Carola!

[Carola]

"i would do it again in a heartbeat" .... so why not now ? go through phone book for your state & look up flying schools, phone them up & ask how much for a one time trial instructional flight or if you just want to be airborne & not handle the controls go for a joyflight..... treat yourself to an early or belated birthday present !!

[Einstein Noodle]

ohhhhh now you challenge me girl! ;) i am very content in my retirement ... in fact am finally coming to grips with selling my Harley (i have owned, built and ridden them since 1967) my adventures now are poetry (of course) creative wood furniture and i did my first carving ... and loving my doggies ... oh and i did step out of my box and started and am leading a neighborhood watch group that has been very successful if i do says so me self :)

[Carola]

now motor bikes really are scary vehicles!! no metal protection between you & the road if you come off.

[Einstein Noodle]

nope ... instead of "watching" the scene go by ..as in a vehicle...one is part of it ... all the smells, temperature changes .. road ... all of it ... thats the allure i guess ...

[Carola]

ahh! but i like the car air-conditioning in our hot climate (don't know which part of the globe you live in)
when hubby & i are driving together he drives & i either put my seat back & fall asleep to catch up on self-induced sleep deprivation by going to bed very late, or i take my laptop with me & write. for me a car is just an extension of our home environment. can't do that on a motorbike !! bikes are still scary, no matter how rosy your description.
cheerio carola

[Einstein Noodle]

touche' ;)..............

[Samuel Dickens]

Oh, boy, was that exhilarating! I hate having to talk about myself so much, but airplanes was my first big interest as a kid. By the age of four, I had graduated beyond making paper airplanes and was building them from sticks and bits of tin. (Cut from a cocoa can with Mother's good scissors) Later on, the navy trained me to be an aircraft mechanic. Your mention of the rudder pedals reminded me of the A7 Corsair II's aileron/rudder interconnect feature. Although my interest was mostly in the design and mechanics of aircraft, I did dream once of flying a Phantom, which left me breathless when I woke up. Hey, you wrote this on my birthday!
About that same year, I took my first ride in an airplane. Aviation is awesome.

[Carola]

well happy belated birthday samuel 🍷🍾 🎂
thanks for reading & commenting.
looking back now i think it suited my personality, 'cos i work better on my own... that's why i liked single pilot operation better than a crew environment. prior to flying i was in an office environment & flying definitely suited better.
cheerio carola

[Robert Trakofler]

I grew up in airplanes I can still hear my fathers voice saying "WZAE114 coming in for approach" back then I was 6 years old we had a Piper Cherokee 180 even back then he let me steer the plane and showed me how he navigated. to this day I remember that gut wrenching feeling coming into approach for a landing in those last minutes you felt so alive and of course being close to the ceiling the sense of isolation among the clouds. we had many planes since then a Barron and a king air but nothing compared to those first flights in that Piper. wow this brought me back

[Carola]

sorry robert i missed this comment of 8 months ago.
i'm impressed, a family owned a king air! did you ever have a go at learning to fly yourself ?
so how is your restaurant /art gallery faring now ? i'm assuming covid-19 restrictions are easing now at your place as they are here in aussie-land.
cheerio carola

[Robert Trakofler]

the king air & baron were corporate planes (my father was president) the piper was what he learned on and he got his twin engine rating on the baron and the king air he hired a pilot to fly by then his eyes were not that good:) I never had any interest in getting my license. but I have to admit I spent a great deal of my life in and around airplanes I was also in the air force and spent a decent amount of time in C-130's as a med evac

[barleygirl]

As soon as I saw this title from you, I knew I had to read it! And your great poem does not disappoint! I love that you include a ton of sharp details which help us really be seated in the drivers seat as we imagine this flight. I love that you show your excitement thru-out the expression of technical details, so it doesn't sound like droning on. The first half of your poem, the details were more simplified & possibly more relatable to the masses. The second half of your poem, I think your deep technical expertise got the best of you & some readers may not be as dialed in to what all these details mean or how to experience the idea of knowing all this stuff! I also learned to fly a small plane back in the early 80's -- I was scared shitless the whole time, even tho I got to the point of soloing. I never did enjoy flying & did not finish getting my pilot's license. That's why it's all the more enjoyable for me to read your palpable enjoyment (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Carola]

hi margie, thanks for your review.
how interesting that you had flying lessons !!
yes i re-drafted the more technical side many times to try & make it poem-reader-friendly. i'm afraid that's the best i could do. i didn't want to write about the scenery outside the window, i wanted to write about my first lesson.

for some years in my aviation career i was a flying instructor, & i had about 3 - 4 students that i remember who were extremely nervous, i could never understand why they chose to want to learn to fly. as you were also that way inclined, so my question is - WHY would someone choose to do that ?? 😱 i don't get it ?
i don't do anything like rollercoaster rides or watch any movie that scares me shitless. why people do this, is beyond my comprehension.

[barleygirl]

I love flying, but just not when I am the one at the controls! *wink! wink!* I think you did just right with the technical aspects . . . I often write at a level above my audience (my vocabulary is often remarked upon, but not always in a good way!)

[LitStar]

ah, refreshing when one takes a simple first experience and paints it with the vivid colors of literary imagery

enjoyed this

[Carola]

many thanks for stopping by to read & comment
cheerio carola

[Coyote Poetry]

A wonderful story told in the poem Carola. Would be wonderful to fly a aircraft. Great description of the event. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Carola]

many thanks for stopping by to read & comment coyote, sorry i missed this comment posted a year ago.
there's nothing to stop you booking a trial instructional flight (TIF) & enjoying the experience of handling the controls... that doesn't mean you have to continue on with flying lessons. treat yourself for your next birthday.
cheerio carola

[Coyote Poetry]

Hello dear Carola. You are welcome and I hope you are doing well. Be careful and be safe.

[Phill Oz O'fee]

What an adventure - and - a wonderful experience to share! I enjoyed the read, imagery and your creative writing. By now you should have flown with the 'Red Arrows' - or perhaps - that was for another time/place. Nice piece ... :-)

[Carola]

glad you enjoyed it phil.
the red arrows are in the UK, in australia we have 'the roulettes'.
in my days of professional flying there was gender discrimination in the major airlines & the military until the government changed the laws & a woman pilot took one of the airlines to court & won. this subsequently open up the gates for females to get into our major airlines & the military, but it was still too late for me because i was in my early 30''s by then & the age restriction in those days was 27 for airlines, i wouldn't know about hiring the military.

[Paul Bell]

I take it on your first solo you felt on top of the world.
No traffic jams in the sky, definitely the way to travel.
Mind you, it must be quite expensive if you own one.
Got this impression of you flying the kids to school now. How cool would that be?

[Carola]

yes you're right it was a buzz, i kept on looking at the right-hand seat to make sure the instructor really wasn't sitting there & i was truly on my own !!! but that happened some lessons later on.
hahaha... i like that what a fun idea, flying kids to school. yes your kids would be considered really cool by their classmates.... maybe convert the playground into a runway for quick convenience. or learn to fly a helicopter, now that really is expensive!
no i never owned a plane & would not have wanted to either... it's a bottomless money pit.

[Paul Bell]

I suppose plane share is the way ahead.
Car share seems to be the rage these days.

[Carola]

yes some people form a small syndicate for a plane, it's still a bottomless money pit! many private owners don't even insure their planes, some only for ground taxiing! i learned that when a student of mine asked me to teach him instrument flying on his own twin-engined aircraft. i only learned after i completed his training he wasn't insured. it never even occurred to me that some owners do that, so i never asked. if i had i wouldn't have gone anywhere near the aircraft ! the suing possibilities are mind blowing.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah some vehiches you want insured for. Planes top the list.

[Chris Shaw]

What an exhilarating flight you have taken me on Carola. I can imagine the thrill and excitement of that first lesson and to find yourself airborne must have been so special. You have crammed in so much detail about the instruments but I am focused on the view, I find myself looking down at all the matchstick houses on the ground. I fly in thought Carola, I have my own wings that take me to imaginary places. So fascinating. I can transport myself anywhere. What an incredible experience to fly a plane and now you have recorded it in a poem for other people to enjoy. You have done something, that I would never have had the guts to do. Well done for that and for the gift of your poetry.

Chris

[Carola]

thank you for your very interesting perspective... you were absorbed in the aerial view of the world & i was very focused on my lesson.
i'm still learning the art of poetry, some portrayals such as free verse i don't always 'get' but i keep trying by more reading
again thank you for you review
cheerio carola

[Chris Shaw]

Free verse came much later with me Carola. I started with a classical style, rhyme and meter. Over the years, I deviated. Keep up the good work. Do you still fly?

Chris

[Carola]

no, after a 25 year flying career i retired, & you know what... i don't even miss it 1!
the last 3 years of my working life i was living out of a travel bag getting home for 1 or 2 weekends a month & mid week only for daytime sleeping (i was flying night freight across australia 4 nights a week.)
nowadays i just love being at home with my computer, feeding the wild pigeons & parrots in our garden & my interest painting which unfortunately don't do much of these days. i don't even like leaving the house very much these days.
cheerio carola

[Chris Shaw]

You made your career in flying. How good is that. Living out of travel bags couldn't have been much fun though. I hope you continue to enjoy your retirement and all the new possibilities that can bring. It's been good talking to you.

[kitty]

Takes special skils and a nerve of steel to be in total control of any aircraft small or large! It must be an empowering feeling though to have the freedom of the air and to be 'one with nature' so to speak! Hats off to you ...much respect comander of the airways!

[Carola]

how right you are with your observation & comment... "empowering feeling though to have the freedom of the air and to be 'one with nature'" you know i always had that sense of freedom when i was flying.

[kitty]

Much Respect. Have a great day!

[Carola]

i don't know what to happened to my poem verses❓❓ the sentences seem to have a mind of their own & spontaneously rearranged themselves & deleted my paragraph spaces 😳
when i go to 'Edit' all 13 verses are still displayed separately.... very strange indeed ⁉️

woo-hoo i figured a way to get my paragraph spaces back 👍 😀 .....so i'm happy now.