Why don’t you go take a flying...lesson

September 6 2009

For my 40th birthday, my wife gave me an inspired gift -- an "immersion" first flight lesson, and the tacit permission to try out flying as a hobby.  Earlier today, I successfully completed that first flight.

The lesson took place at Chicago Executive Airport -- still known as Palwaukee to those of us from around here.  Palwaukee Flyers is one of several flight schools that operate at the airport.  They offer three approaches to starting down the path of learning to fly.  Deborah opted to enroll me in the "downtown adventure" -- an hour's worth of flying time in a Cessna C150, and some associated instruction.

I've been excitedly nervous heading into today.  I've had what we could call "mechanical challenges" when learning other forms of transportation.  In drivers education class back in high school, I was the one who got behind the wheel the first time and set the car lurching in reverse without holding the brake down.  Yes, it's true, it's because of me (and other nervous or clueless drivers) that all cars in the US are now required to have a foot on the brake before shifting into forward or reverse gear.  In 2001, I allowed myself to be convinced to try out riding a moped -- and ultimately ended up with stitches and in hospital for five days.  I promised myself "older and wiser" today, and that I would carefully observe, learn, and control.

It turns out I need not have worried.  With my instructor Jimmy -- who by his own admission was slightly more than half my age -- by my side, I apparently executed a flawless takeoff from Palwaukee runway 34 to the north.  Jimmy manned the throttle while I had the yoke, lifting and pointing us in the direction of Lake Michigan and our journey south towards the Chicago loop.  We flew at 2700 feet about as far south as McCormick Place, then I turned us around.  Jimmy took the controls while I snapped a few photos of the magnificent Chicago skyline, then I started us back towards the airport.  For landing, we again teamed as I pointed us down, seemingly towards an apartment complex, while at about 10 seconds to go Jimmy took the controls and banked us in for a smooth landing.

Now, I will not allow this to get to my head, but I have to say -- the basics were a lot easier than I anticipated.  It is not like driving a car -- the movements are much smaller and quicker.  It was not as precise as commercial aviation -- we didn't have to stay at exactly 2700 feet as we floated along, or on a particular exact heading.  Air traffic control guided us upon takeoff and landing, of course, but we didn't have to sequence behind anyone, and there was no rush to get off the runway upon landing to make way for the next flight.  Jimmy had, for this initial flight, told me not to worry too much about the dashboard of gauges and readouts -- obviously altitude and speed were critical, but I didn't have to worry about keeping "the ball in the middle" as several pilots had coached me.  I learned how to use the pedals to taxi the plane, and in some ways this was harder than keeping it aloft.

So, having successfully completed my first flight, now what?  Well, flying is admittedly an expensive hobby to get started in -- but in some ways, no different than golf, skiing, boating, or other recreational activities.  If I am going to get into it, it's going to be a long-term investment -- the baby due next month is clearly going to be much more of a short-term priority.  But the bug has bitten, and bitten hard.  I have talked about wanting to learn to fly for at least five years.  It seems classically one of those things that one does "before it's too late".  Thus, now is the time.  I will be back in the air again, soon, and I don't just mean as a passenger on a 747.  Because even as much as I fly in my daily work -- there is still much more of this land to explore.  And there is nothing quite like the feeling of seeing it out the front windshield.

Ed Brill | Cessna 150 @ KPWK, Runway 34 Category:  Travel  Add/View Comments [19]

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  1. 1  Michael Sampson http://www.michaelsampson.net | 9/6/2009 5:51:29 PM

    Good on you Ed ... and thanks for telling us about it. How about a helicopter next?

  1. 2  Henry Ferlauto  | 9/6/2009 7:45:50 PM

    Did you have any thoughts of the bi-plane scene from "Space Cowboys?" :)

  1. 3  Carl Tyler http://www.iminstant.com | 9/6/2009 8:17:51 PM

    Great pictures, every flight simulator fan knows that skyline!

    Congrats Ed and welcome to the club. Next time you're in Boston let me know!

  1. 4  Graham Dodge  | 9/6/2009 8:54:18 PM

    Arrghh!!! I've wanted to fly for ages but with a four year-old son and a daughter due in October I thought my sensible side had that desire firmly locked away in the "NOT TO BE OPENED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES" corner of my brain. Now you've gone and let the genie out of the bottle again. Grrr!

    .

  1. 5  Howard http://www.tlcc.com | 9/6/2009 9:13:24 PM

    Congrats Ed! Looks like a great day for a first lesson!

    I think you got bitten by the bug now.

    Howard

  1. 6  Bill Geimer  | 9/6/2009 9:13:48 PM

    Sure looks like a great time. Nice present from the Mrs.

  1. 7  Arthur Fontaine  | 9/6/2009 9:38:03 PM

    Congratulations on attacking a difficult goal. Good luck in getting your wings!

    In one way you're already lucky; this is a personal frustration I've had for a long time. Color-blind people can't even train to fly planes. It's certainly sensible -- it wasn't until a few years ago that someone pointed out to me that lights on planes (and boats) are green on one side and red on another!

  1. 8  Mat Newman  | 9/6/2009 11:36:28 PM

    Congratulations Ed; welcome to the left hand seat!

    Just wait until you land it your self - by your self. There's a life changing experience :-)

    Considering it was a '150, no attempts at anything other than staying "upright"?

  1. 9  Christian Tillmanns http://www.informica.ch | 9/7/2009 12:51:50 AM

    Ha, another one bitten by the bug. I suggested you take flying lessons years ago, when you said, that IBM wouldn't allow it. Your life isn't important to IBM anymore? ;-)

    I think Carl or anybody else with yellow blood and a pilots license should sign you up at the AOPA Project Pilot Program and mentors you through the process of getting the license. That helps a lot. Flying is the best thing you can do with your clothes on.

  1. 10  Lars Olufsen http://www.olufsphere.com | 9/7/2009 2:15:19 AM

    Awesome, Ed!

    It's mankind's final frontier. (Sure, you can go to the moon and stuff, but that is just an extention of flying, really).

    Good job, great pictures, cool wife!

  1. 11  Bill Greenberg - Good Computer Guy http://Http://blog.goodcomputerguy.com | 9/7/2009 6:49:31 AM

    Congrats Ed. Excellent decision. I got my pilot's certificate in the late 90's when I was doing Notes dev contracting work for Lotus. Of course now I have several aviation Notes databases, to track my time, my airplane's hours, and a complete airport app along with calculated distances, etc. Enjoy the journey!

  1. 12  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 9/7/2009 7:22:32 AM

    @9 hmm, I don't think her initials were IBM.

    Also I believe Howard @5 made just such an offer in email a few weeks ago. Something for me to follow up on.

    @11 why don't you consider open-sourcing some of those apps on OpenNTF.org?

  1. 13  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 9/7/2009 8:29:56 AM

    Oh @8, Jimmy showed me that the 150 is capable of 30-45 degree banks, but no, on this occasion we were just after the basics. 24 lessons to go...

  1. 14  Bill Greenberg - Good Computer Guy http://Http://blog.goodcomputerguy.com | 9/7/2009 9:02:23 AM

    Sure I'll put them on openntf. And the 150 is capable of doing spins. But never on a first flight!

  1. 15  Daniel Lieber  | 9/7/2009 2:13:02 PM

    Congratulations Ed! Flying is a wonderful activity and the world is truly different while flying "low and slow." If you take any lessons in the Boston area, you'll be able to see the IBM Littleton facility from the "practice area" and have incredible sites, particularly during autumn. Christian's idea of you being mentored with an AOPA member is great; they are great at supporting general aviation pilots. I would venture that you can ask anyone you know with a private pilot certificate if they are a member and they will almost certainly say yes. Welcome to the most unnatural of spaces for a human -- in control of the air!

  1. 16  Gregg Eldred http://www.ns-tech.com/blog/geldred.nsf | 9/7/2009 10:19:19 PM

    Ed: After traveling the state of Ohio, for college visits, I thought that flying to the colleges would have been a better use of my time. And we could have seen more in less time. I think that if you keep this up, you will be happy in the long run. :-) And I did check: most, if not all, Ohio colleges have small airports near them or on campus. I am sure you will see the same in Illinois. Or elsewhere.

  1. 17  John Lindsay http://www.florida-poolsidecottage.com | 9/8/2009 5:59:27 AM

    Great stuff Ed, congratulations. I was okay on the pedals at first being a farmers boy and a soap-box cartie driver it was okay. My BIG problem was as a farmer's boy I had grown up driving tractors and the hand throttle on a tractor makes the tractor go faster by pulling back. It's exactly the opposite on a plane. The amount of times I cut the throttle when I was supposed to be doing a go-around scared the bejaysus out of the Instructor (and myself) on more than one occasion.

    @15 - Don't forget the EAA (www.eaa.org) - you can fly some pretty cool stuff with them.

  1. 18  Howard Greenberg http://www.tlcc.com | 9/10/2009 9:02:39 AM

    Arthur, you can get a medical being color-blind. Don't let that stop you!!!

    Contact the AOPA (you can join for free for a while as a new pilot) and ask for their medical department. They know all the details. There is a phone number at the url below:

    { Link }

    Howard