Flying the Falls

It was on the 11th of April when I spoke at the Niagara RAAC (Recreational Aircraft Association) Chapter 4910. It was a fun night filled with lots of laughter, good stories and hillarious jokes....oh and I did squeeze in my presentation amongst all that. The members showed their appreciation by not only offering me an honorarium, I was also invited on a scenic flight by the president of the club, Elizabeth Murphy.

Elizabeth and I went flying today!! It was so much fun!!

This afternoon she came to pick me up and when I jumped into the passenger seat I couldn't help but notice the manual which lay on the back seat of her car....'Aircraft Acrobatics'. She spoke of the rain and how she liked the fact that it would clean her plane and that we may have to fly upside down to get the belly of the plane clean also.

I'm usually up for just about anything but flying upside down in a plane, did make me feel a little bit nervous. With a stirring giggle, she assured me that we wouldn't be doing any acrobatics today. Phew, I thought.

Her plane is a beauty. It is a Cessna A150L Aerobat, a plane built for two people and Yes it is built to do acrobatics.

She did the usual checks like any pilot would, making sure there were 2 wings, 3 wheels, a tail and that the fluids were all topped up. After fueling up we climbed into the cosy cabin, buckled ourselves in and just as we were about to get started Elizabeth questions, "How do I start this thing again?" She looks innocent with her long blonde hair and smiley eyes, but she is as mischevious as they come. A few moments later we were airborne,  free as a bird flying over the Niagara Falls area. The rain cleared, the clouds parted and the visability was all we could have hoped for. 

I was astonished seeing Niagara Falls from above. It looked like a giant plug as the river water arrived at its edges and plummeted abruptly down into an empty void of mist and rapids. It was like a pot hole in the middle of a river, all the water destined to land directly down and into that space. I was fascinated as we did donut after donut, high in the sky, above the monumental Niagara Falls.

And then.... I got to fly the plane! Ohh wow it felt so strange, being in control of a vessel in the sky. When I turned the...wheel? ...handle bar? ....thing that steers, it was so strange to see the nose of the plane respond. So sublime to be 'driving' in the sky. It actually felt quite weird, but I loved the opportunity.
We continued on towards Grimsby, following the Niagara Escarpment. When in amongst the trees as you walk along the trails that are within the escarpment, it looks and feels like a massive stretch of land. From up above it is a rather narrow band of woodland and forest sloping towards the lake shore, right in the middle of the urban sprawl.

And then we flew over 8 Sheppard Crescent. How fun it was to see Kals Shed, the house and the gorgeous garden by air. By the time we landed the clouds were only a second thought as sun and blue sky dominated the lovely air we just flew in.

It was really kind of Elizabeth to take me flying and I felt completely at ease with her competent skills and cheeky sense of humor.

Ya know, one thing I never realised would occur since having done the 'Kayaking to Save the Albatross' South Georgia expedition, is the super people I would meet while doing presentations, making the film and writing the book. Elizabeth also has an inspirational story which she shares to those interested in her blog. Feel free to take a look at: http://www.lizzymcfly.com/. She is a brave and wonderful lady.

Dean and I have one week before we depart for Winnipeg then on to Churchill. It is time to gather up our belongings, pack dear Winnie and start to turn our minds to 'On the road' responsibilities. Dean will be finishing up his work at the Marriott this Saturday and by the time we depart I hope to have the first draft of the book complete. 45,000 words doesn't look like all that much but boy it has taken some time to get down. I am pleased with how it is going so far but at the same time I will be grateful to put my computer away and grab the tiller of a boat or a kayak paddle and indulge in the guiding world again. It has been a long but delightful and a fairly productive winter.

To watch an 8 minute video on our afternoon Flying the Falls, please go to:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNEWZiyZd08

 

Stand by for 'On the Road' adventures by Hayley and Dean.