I can fly.

1994/95

“Why do you fly?” my friends and acquaintances often ask, as if there has to be a rational explanation for this aberrant behaviour! I don’t do it for business or profit. So why do I fly? For fun – I guess. Are gholf players asked why they play gholf?

What I get from my flying is far more than mere fun, though! Although I have always wanted to learn to fly I was intimidated by all the remarks of the earthbound :

“But what will you use it for?” “It is so expensive”, “I know someone who spent all that money to get a licence and then let it lapse because maintaining it was too expensive”, etc.…

Then my fortieth birthday approached and I came to the conclusion that my life was nearly over. However my birthday came and went, and with  it came the realization that if I still wanted to do all the things I had always wanted to do, I had better start doing it now. Though my life was by no means over, it wasn't unlimited anymore!

So I learn’t to fly. It wasn't easy. In fact it was terrifying – so much so that I lost several kilograms in the first few weeks from sheer naked terror.  The only thing that kept me going was my very enthusiastic instructor. He was rather cute as well.

I will never forget the feelings I experienced during my first solo. Initially l felt relief that I was doing this without the instructor’s non-stop commentary. As I climbed away from the runway the full realization sank in. I was in this little aeroplane all alone with no-one to help! I survived the circuit, even landing rather well, I thought! I taxied off the runway and parked the plane on the taxiway. I felt quite euphoric and very proud of myself, but as I tried to disembark, I found that my legs would not work – my knees were shaking so much.

I soon found that flying without an instructor’s constant commentary in my ears was wonderful, although to this day I can still hear him when I fly: “Watch your speed, if you run out of speed at this height you will kill yourself!”

The feeling of achievement I have at actually having learnt to move freely in this new medium – air – is incredible! If life gets me down, I say to myself “I can fly”.