Fulfilling My Dream Of Flying

Ohio is the birthplace of aviation. It says so on our license plates.

Yes, the Wright Brothers were born in Ohio. Now my parents live in North Carolina where the Wright Brothers did their first flight. I guess we have a thing for flying.

I’ve done my fair share of flying, but always as a passenger. This flight in Angeles was no different, but I did get to take control of the plane for 5% of the journey, or one minute :).

Yes, Angeles Flight Club gives people the unique opportunity to fly a microlight aircraft. The club itself is just outside Angeles and there is even a pool and café if you want to make a day out of your flying experience.

The microlight aircrafts only fly about 80mph/130kph and only 850ft/260m off the ground. Still, it’s an awesome ride.

I suppose seeing warnings like this before takeoff make it all the more thrilling.

I opted for a 20 minute flight, which would allow me to see the remnants of the rainforest that used to be here, the damage from the volcano eruption in the early 90’s, and some local farms.

Let me tell you.. it was thrilling! Since the plane is so light, you feel every gust of wind and the ride is bumpier than you’d expect.

My pilot, Helmut from Germany, was an expert and I felt comfortable with him at the helm – that is until he asked if I wanted to fly.

So I took hand controls and put my feet on the pedals and played a bit. I moved the hand controls up and down, left and right, then the same with the pedals. Again, very slight movements so I could get a feel for the handling without killing us.

Helmut had his hands and feet nearby at all times in case he needed to take over.

It was great and we survived!

The area we flew over was very green and beautiful. I’m sure if it were sunny outside it would be even greener and sparkle. But, it was my last day in Angeles and I was just glad it wasn’t raining.

Another great maximization of experiences instead of things on The Happy Nomad Tour!

Taking Off

Landing

Pictures!