Petersburg at night and briefly gliding over a shiny, dark ocean. That’s just one in a sea of airplane memories, though. I also recall how my grandmother sat in the back with my sister and I and said, “Say your prayers, girls. I was just 4 at the time but vividly remember how loud it was. I was only scared once though, when we were caught in a storm. There was another time that our landing gear malfunctioned so my Dad had to crank it down by hand. Air-Traffic Control made us circle until a truck could drive out to remove it. There were minor ISSUES of course, like the turtle in the middle of a runway in Charlotte, North Carolina. We never had problems on any of those flights, either. My grandparents house is gone but the runway and hangars are still there, though they look much smaller today.
I didn’t realize how cool that was until this past spring, when I took my kids and husband by that airport. My dad would simply taxi up to the hangar, then we would grab our suitcases and walk across the street. He always had a plane and we flew it back to that same airport whenever we visited my Grandparents. He learned to fly by the time he was 14 and that became his preferred mode of transportation. My Dad grew up across the street from a small airport and started working there at an early age. Landing for a pit-stop isn’t quite the same as finding an exit off the highway. You can imagine what it was like if someone needed to go before that. If I was lucky, I wouldn’t need a bathroom break until the plane needed to refuel. I was usually worried about potty-breaks and when I would need one. I was always stressed on those trips, but not because I was afraid of flying. Most of my childhood memories involve sitting in the backseat of a small plane with a hamster cage on my lap (Yes, I insisted on taking my hamster with us though I can’t remember WHY). He even sold his plane not long ago, which was a surprise to all of us.
It’s actually been living in a magnet-frame on my fridge for the past 10 years.ĭad’s always happiest when he’s flying, though he doesn’t do much of it anymore. You can probably tell that it’s old and a little faded.
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