Flying

Be as strong as the seas are stormy

and proud as an eagles scream

I will ride

I will fly

chase the wind

 and touch the sky

I was born into an Aviation family.

Flying is very much in my blood.

My grandfather had a plane of his own and took my mother out flying over Door County.

My great uncle on my father's side was good friends with the famous Charles Lindbergh and flew with him during the war.

My grandfather and father served in the Air Force as well as other family members.

My earliest memories involve toy planes, real planes, jets, and B-17s.

I remember my Dad would go off sputtering all these different plane names, but eventually I learned which was which. 

I am proud to say I can now tell you what a B-17, B-29 B-36 and B-47 is.  

If we could have a family motto, it would be, "We don't walk, or run. We fly."

Airshows are always something I personally look forward to in the warmer seasons.

I have fond memories of sitting with my father on the side of the runway watching planes take off.

The pilots always have so much passion and drive in their eyes.

I love seeing historic planes and knowing that once upon a time, someone in my family most likely flew in something similar.

Still One Airshow haunts me.

A few years ago, Stevens Point held an Airshow like they did every other year.

My parents and I lined up to see the planes take off.

One pilot got ready and gave us a thumbs up.

He flew up into the bright sky before I could blink.

The summer sun was extra bright that day so I decided to go buy some sunglasses.

As I walked into the building I heard loud gasps. People ran to the window.

I was thinking the pilot was doing a trick so I too went to the window to see the magic.

I saw the plane dive into the trees and I waited with the small crowd of people for him to come back up like the other pilots had.

Suddenly a little boy excitedly elbowed his friend next to me.

"Did you see that? It was awesome! He flew right into the forest and made smoke!"

I looked at his little painfully innocent face and my stomach sank. I felt sick. I looked back again and there was the smoke.

People outside began to stand up and cover their mouths.  Everything seemed to be in slow motion from then on.

The eyes of children were covered by fathers and mothers but it was too late.

Some grabbed their cell phones and snapped pictures of the smoke that was rising in the distance.

An ambulance roared towards the scene.

A second later, the sky went from being blue and beautiful to quickly growing bleak and dark black.

It began to downpour.

It was eerily surreal and I'll never forget it.

Hundreds fled to their cars and a woman began yelling at us in a megaphone to go home. The airshow was canceled.

We had hope that the pilot survived but later learned he lost control of his plane and died on impact. He was just 40 years old.

Because of what had been seen many refuse to go to the airshows.

Even for me it was depressing to hear a plane fly overhead, but because I am from such a strong knitted aviation family my love of flying has never left.

You simply can't let trauma seize your passion.

I thought of my relatives in the wars.

Surely they had seen their fellow men be shot down.

Surely they had seen their B-17s destroyed.

But yet it didn't stop them. I'm sure it scared them, but flying is important.

Why you fly, you're touching the sky.

You're going against gravity.

You're simply free.

A lot of people hate flying, but I can never get enough of the feeling you get when you're taking off.

The engines begin to roar.

And slowly the plane begins to move and turn down the runway.

You can feel the excitement building as speed is gaining like a mighty force.

Faster and faster now you rush down the runway.

The speed seems uncontrollable and you are gently pushed up to the sky as if you're riding on a roller coaster.

The atmosphere around you isn't what it seems.

Your back is pressed to your seat and soon you're gliding up and up and away!

The whole world gets smaller below as you catapult on.

Like tiny buildings for ants and bugs you say goodbye.

This magic is so real that your heart could envelope into awe.

(Well at least mine could! It always does.)

I get to fly again in May.

I am very much looking forward to it.

It's not where you're going.

It's how you're getting there.

It's flying.

Author's Note

Reviews

[Nisreen]

I am pretty sure those who fly have this very different sense of living
like nothing is impossible

I wish i could learn
I see so much life in your writing
and i wish you never stop writing

[Coyote Poetry]

I had poor eye-sight. I wish I could of flew planes or helicopters. I did the second best thing. I became a gas and water man in the Army. I had many good hours on the Helicopters. Good to fly with the eagles. I liked the photos and the history of your family.
Coyote

[wordman]

just the photos alone tells the story,loved the write and the history of it

[ANTO]

I read this a few times. After the second time, when the story of the pilot's demise had sunk in I thought that the poem at the beginning was such a beautiful epitaph for him.
I felt my stomach clench in the description of the little boy's excitement while those 'who knew' had the worst feeling. Such a contrast.
I do enjoy your poem/journal pieces.

[Kathryn Smith]

Thank you very much Anto! Sometimes I feel as though I ramble on too much! XD Glad you like it! :)

[A hare off]

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Kathryn? :) What a great airborne journey you have created with your poem. And that was certainly a traumatic situation but I agree, you can't let your love of something be weakened by a sad event. Really fun to read, thanks for sharing.

[Kathryn Smith]

Aw thank you so much! You give wonderful reviews. I appreciate it! xx

[dan]

Tragedies at airshows seem all too common, they are splashed all over the news. I've flown countless times (I was in the Navy) and I don't think about the potential for disaster: more pedestrians die each year than people dying in plane crashes. Your family's aviation background provides you with 'insider perspective' to abandon your fears and look skyward into your future. A very nicely written piece, Kathryn! take care...dan

[Kathryn Smith]

Thank you Dan! And I applaud you for being in the Navy. :) xx

[Riddhi]

Great work and personally when i see birds flying i tooo dream of flying not in a plane but having the ability same as them...It may sound weird but same as you as your last story says 'It's weird"....

[Kathryn Smith]

Thank you! And that's not weird I think about being a bird too! :D I'd love to be a bird! haha