 |
|
Kate
gets a tour around the Cessna 172 she will soon be flying from
Richmor Flight Instructor John Mahoney prior to heading off
into the wild blue yonder. |
A
lesson courtesy of Richmor Aviation
Story
by Kate Kirschenheiter
with
Photographs by Robert Ragaini
for
Hudson Valley Newspapers
COLUMBIA
COUNTY -- "The rudder doesn't turn the plane."
With
a background in ships, remembering that the rudder doesn't turn
the airplane was difficult, to say the least.
Then
having to remember that ailerons, located on the wing tips, controlled
the roll; elevators on the horizontal stabilizer controlled the
pitch and the rudder, located on the vertical stabilizer actually
controlled the yaw, or the left/right motion of the nose, kept my
mind pretty busy.
Which
was a good thing; because I had a fear of flying and the less I
thought about what I was about to do, the better.
Yet
there I was, doing a preflight check with Richmor Aviation Flight
Instructor John Mahoney on a sunny, beautiful and oddly warm day
in February, just so I could write a story for the paper.
We
checked for visible dents on the aluminum Cessna 172 Skyhawk II,
which Mahoney had just physically dragged across the runway
into the light so our photographer could get better shots.
The
four-seat, single-engine, high-wing "Chevy of the air"
didn't look that scary. It was small, solid and appeared to be perfectly
durable. And it had just landed, so I knew it could fly.
Once
we were in the plane, which was quite small, even for someone my
size Mahoney went through the checklist to start the engine; making
sure the engine was operating, the radio wasn't on when he started
the plane up, and a slew of other things that were listed on a sun
visor above his head.
My
first stomach-flop happened when Mahoney started the engine and
the front of the plane settled downward, which I hadn't expected
but didn't find too disquieting.
He
explained, as we moved down the taxiway toward the runway, how he
was turning the plane left and right with the pedals at our feet
and instructed that I place my feet on the pedals to see what it
felt like.
Not
bad yet; as a matter of fact, this was rather fun. But we were still
on the ground.
Reaching
a spot with a line across the pavement, Mahoney explained that beyond
that line was the runway itself and that there were some checks
to perform before we crossed it.
The
checks included making sure that both ignition systems were operational
and revving the engine up to assure there would be no problems as
we increased speed during take off.
Mahoney
told me to put my hand on the "wheel," which I did, and
then he turned onto the runway, all the while explaining his actions.
On the instrument panel of this particular Cessna, there isn't a
throttle that you push forward like a lever, but rather a little
knob that is pushed all the way forward into the panel.
I was
told to push it forward and keep pushing it and when it was all
the way flush with the instrument panel, we were off the ground
and -- flying.
 |
|
After
starting the engine, Kate gets some final instructions from
John before preparing to take off. |
I had
flown before in commercial airliners -- I had even "landed"
in the Columbia-Greene Community College flight simulator -- but
neither can compare to sitting in an airborne plane with your hand
on the controls
But
I was a bit uneasy now as we climbed above the airport.
That
is until Mahoney asked where I lived, which I told him, and he said,
"We'll fly over Philmont." And off toward the village
of Philmont we flew, which took my mind off my fear as I looked
intently at the little houses and roads, trying to pick out mine.
It's
harder than you'd think; picking your house out from the air. I
finally located it when I located the Claverack Town Park, which
I live across from.
Perhaps
seeing that I seemed comfortable with where I was, Mahoney turned
us toward the city of Hudson and explained where the airspeed indicator,
the altitude gauges and artificial horizon were and pointed out
the GPS system that showed the river, the NYS Thruway and I-90,
among other things.
This
didn't seem too bad at all.
Then,
the moment I had been looking forward to and dreading came. Taking
over and flying the plane. But, it wasn't that hard, you barely
have to move the controls to get the plane to bank and turn.
Hearing
that women make good pilots because they gently manipulate the controls,
feeling how smooth the ride was, and having control of the airplane
itself eased my mind.
And
the moment I made my first turn the fear of flying I had felt for
years vanished. The age old adage that "the best way to conquer
your fears is to face them" held true. Again.
We
flew over and around Coxsackie, then hopped on over to Catskill
and crossed back over the Hudson River to do a flyover of Olana
State Historic Site in Greenport.
After
that, as the sun went down, it was time to head back to Columbia
County Airport; and the ground. Oddly enough, I wasn't in a hurry.
I kept control of the plane until we crossed over the runway, then
Mahoney retook control and lined us up with runway 2-1, explaining
how the 2-1 corresponded to the magnetic compass direction.
I barely
felt the jolt when we landed, courtesy of the expert at my right,
but I did feel a bit of a letdown when I realized that I would probably
never have another chance to fly a plane.
An
odd thought for someone who feared flying only an hour or so before.
 |
|
Kate
checks the controls as she flys over Philmont. |
Richmor
Aviation, with a number of locations, offers highly personal flight
instruction, as I had just witnessed, and keeps a tight ship.
Discovery
flights are available and can be booked through Richmor's Web site
or over the phone at one of four locations; Schenectady, Poughkeepsie
and Newburgh, Hudson and Saratoga.
They
offer both private and commercial pilot licensing programs, and
programs meet the needs of almost anyone, offering Federal Aviation
Administration Examining Authority privileges, flexible schedules,
a number of locations and aircraft
For
those who wish to pursue a career in aviation, either as pilots
or as aeronautical engineers, Richmor Flight School collaborates
with Schenectady County Community College's Aviation Science program
and the new Aviation Science program at Columbia-Green Community
College.
The
Richmor Flight School at Columbia County Airport also works in collaboration
with the aviation program at Questar III in Greenport, making it
possible for high school students, over a period of 2 years, to
obtain a private pilot's license.
Richmor
Aviation is easy to contact and more than willing to help "get
your flight training education off the ground." If I had the
time and money even I would do it.
For
more information, call Richmor Aviation at the Columbia County Airport
at 518-828-9461 or visit the Web site.
THIS
ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2005 BY
HUDSON VALLEY NEWSPAPERS. USED WITH PERMISSION.
|
