A chance to give something back

Today I was blessed with a chance to take an 11 year old on his first
flight in a small plane. My wife and I met Matthew and his parents at a
church event this past summer. When Matthew found out I was a pilot, he
had lots of questions as he'd been reading about flying. He's one of
those really sharp kids that learns a lot on his own, asks intelligent
questions and seems to take in any and all information.

A week ago, my wife informs me that she has a pilot job for me. I'm
puzzled but not worried since, after all, this involves me flying. It
turns out she'd run into Matthew and his family and told them about me
buying the Arrow and that I'd be happy to take Matthew for a flight (she
knows me well). So, we made arrangements to go for a flight today. I
wasn't sure if his folks would come along so was prepared for a full
plane if necessary. Matthew and his Dad show up and it turns out Dad
has some errands to run so it's just me and a very excited 11 year old.

We go through a the preflight and I take my time explaining what I'm
doing. As I answer questions and explain things, I get this feeling
that Matthew is a total sponge just soaking everything in. It's also
obvious that he's done a lot of learning on his own as he knows about
things like knots vs. miles per hour and what some of the instruments
do. We must have spend 40 minutes before turning the key...both of us
having fun and we hadn't flown yet.

Soon enough, we're flying. First stop, circle Dad's office building.
Matthew starts to recognize things from the air and I can tell he's
having a great time. Next stop, Folsom lake. It turns out they live
near the lake so I circle a bit as Matthew tries to find his house. He
doesn't find it but that doesn't seem to matter. We fly around the lake
a bit and then head back to the airport. Along the way, we circle our
church.

Back into the pattern and a touch and go before reluctantly calling it
quits. An hour of flight time had gone by in what felt like 20 minutes.

After putting the plane back in the hangar and wiping off the bugs,
Matthew's Dad arrives and we chat for a bit. Matthew hands me a thank
you card and they need to be off to an appointment. I open the card and
have a wonderful hand written thank you note. The note is great and
I'll keep it forever. Even better was seeing the sparkle in Matthew's
eyes and the smile on his face. He had a blast (me too). What a
terrific opportunity we as pilots have when we can share our love for
flying in such a tangible way as taking someone for a flight. While
this was only my second chance to take a child for their first flight in
a GA aircraft, I sure hope I have opportunity to do this many more times
before my flying days are over. Whether it be Young Eagles, Angel
flight, or just taking along a friend or neighbor, I look forward to the
chance to give something back and hopefully spark kids (and adults for
that matter) interest in flying.

Two flights, an hour of hood time, three approaches, $75 worth of 100LL,
and one of the happiest kids on the planet...yep, it was a good day.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

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