Flying the Plane

Yes, it happened.  My biggest goal for being out here happened...well...one of my top ten...I rode co-pilot on the way back home to Emmonak from Mountain Village!!!!  Yay!  I flew the plane.  Okay, so he let go of the wheel and petals like he did a few times already while he was flying, and told me to "get a feel for flying." !!!!!  So, nothing could have happened in the 2 minutes he wasn't holding onto the steering wheel, but it could've!  I could've had to land that plane!  And he taught me (the theory) on how to do it!  :)

The view from my seat...that's right.  Co-pilot

I asked as we were loading up from Mountain Village if he needed me to sit next to him, and he goes, "Okay, sure."  I jumped up and down and did a little dance.  I said that I was so excited because that was one of my goals while I was out here.  He goes, "What?  You're goal was to sit next to me on a plane?"  He was funny.

The front panel of the 4 passenger plane...eeek!!!

So, getting into a 4 passenger (6 total person) plane, is a bit...interesting...and a bit like Tetris.  I had to get into the plane first, pull the seat all the way forward.  Then, the pilot pulled his seat all the way forward (not in it yet).  Then, Lara Leigh got into the seat directly behind me.  She was instructed to pull her seat as far forward as possible.  Then Jessie (Home/School coordinator for Kutlik) got into the seat behind where the pilot would sit and pulled her seat all the way forward.  Okay, three in.  Three to go.  Phoebe got in Tommy (Emo's Home/School coordinator) got in behind Jessie because he had to fill in as far away from the back door as possible.  Then Phoebe got in behind Lara Leigh.  Whew!  5 in.  Now making the plane possible for the pilot to fly.

The pilot takes something out of one of the wheels and rocks us up and down.  Nice, are we on a boat?!?!?  Then he comes around to his seat and takes his "important/piloting bag" and says that it will have to sit in between Lara Leigh and Jessie.  They move as much as they can in order to fit it in.  Then he hands me his metal "important/piloting log book."  However, I don't hold it long because there isn't room enough in front of me for it and for the wheel to come toward me and not be in the way of the pilot flying.  Wow.

Inside the cabin.

So he asks Jessie to hold the "important/piloting log book."  He now has to get into the plane.  He asks Jessie to move her feet as far back as she can and he moves his seat right up to her.  He "climbs" in the plane and pulls the seat forward.  All in!!!!  I feel like this was half the battle to us getting home.

He then puts in some coordinates, jots things down in his book, starts the engine, and pulls/turns the wheel!  Wow!  I'm co-piloting!  (I know I'm not, but indulge me people...)  He takes off, plays with many of the pullies and knobs and switches, and finally, pulls his earmuffs (what are they really called?) off and asks if I have any questions.  Any questions?!!?!?  Where do I start?!?!?!  He starts by teaching me what each of the gages do, and if he does this, then the plane will do that.  If he turns the plane, the gage will look like this.  If he pushes forward, we go down.  I'm getting sick at this moment.  Too much stomach butterflies...eeek!

He teaches me about landing and how my misconception my whole 11 years of flying was completely wrong.  It's not just: flaps down, wheels down, make the plane level and straight, land.  It's a heck of a lot more!  He tells me that if the wind is coming in from the side, you almost have to steer into the wind so it doesn't grab hold of the plane and you go tumbling away and get smashed.  I'm glad that he gives me this warning, because he has to come in basically pointing left, and angled weird, and if he hadn't warned me, my anxiety might be working strong!  He landed perfectly and was awesome.  I had a great time!

Emmonak's coming into view

There's the airport!

And we're landing.