The Quad-City Times - News, Sports and more from the Quad Cities region or Iowa and Illinois

You are not logged in.
Login

Log in to qctimes.com
Email:
Password:
Remember my information.
Register
Quadsville
Site Help

AREA CLOSINGS: Check our closings database for early school dismissals and event cancellations before you head out in the snow. >>

Viewpoint: It was worth the trip

Font Size:

Default font size

Larger font size

By Kay Luna | Tuesday, September 02, 2008 |

Why in the world did I ever climb into the backseat of that tiny yellow airplane?

First of all, the cockpit of the Quad-City Challenger experimental aircraft — considered a lightweight sport model — is wide-open.

No doors. No walls. Nothing but two seats, planted on a bare-bones airplane chassis covered mostly with fabric. Yes, I said fabric!

You also should know that I’m afraid of heights.

I’m the person who squeezes her eyes shut and prays out loud, “Please, Lord, make this be over!” when I’m dumb enough to go on roller coasters. I don’t even like Ferris wheels.

But on the day I visited the rural Erie (Ill.) Airpark — a grassy airstrip in, literally, Jim Robinson’s backyard, the sky looked so blue. The winds were mostly calm.

And the group of pilots hanging around the place seemed so excited about sharing their hobby with me.

So, I swallowed hard, gave myself a pep talk and agreed to take a ride. I am so happy I did.

We enjoyed a very smooth takeoff with Robinson at the wheel, and I decided it was all going to be OK. That was until we went higher and higher and then buzzed over semis and cars traveling below on Interstate 88.

It was about that time when Robinson asked, “Are you scared?” Oh, yes, I really was.

But then I started to force my hands to loosen up (I’d had a death grip on the sides of that seat.). I knew our staff photographer, Larry Fisher, was counting on me to snap some good in-flight photos to go with this story. That would require me to let go of the seat.

So, I slowly lifted the camera up to my face and began clicking. Then I started paying more attention to the scenery. It was beautiful. Stunning, actually.

I started to notice the gentle wind blowing my hair instead of focusing on how it was blowing and pushing the lightweight plane around. I began to relax, soaking in the sights, laughing at myself for feeling scared in the first place.

Before I knew it, Robinson was leading us into a very smooth landing. The ride was over.

And I felt exhilarated. I saw the world in a whole new way that day — from the wide-open sky.

Kay Luna can be contacted at (563) 383-2323 or kluna@qctimes.com. Comment on this column at qctimes.com.