Sorta off topic but I figured you guys would find what I have seen while flying interesting:
NYC and USS North Dakota on maiden voyage (being escorted out of General Dynamics)
the controls and being in a small plane
Being in a small aircraft is something truly magnificent. I had my first flight with Civil Air Patrol, the USAF Auxiliary for free, and I will never forget it.
I can remember it very well... I was in the back seat for the first part of the flight. As we got up to takeoff speed, I gripped the seat as hard as I could because I didn't know what to expect. Immediately we were picked up and lowered with the wind, but after a few seconds I let go of my grip and enjoyed the view. My favorite part of flying is when the whole entire world gets really small.
More in regards to what it feels like: I have done everything from high-G turns to going weightless (all with in the legal boundaries, of course), and it is all a thrill. I never have gotten sick in a plane, and personally think the bumpiness makes it more fun. I once was in a C-130 for an orientation ride and it felt like we were in NASA's Vomit Comet yet I didn't get sick! Anyway, the ability to feel the rise and fall of your stomach is something really fun. Going in high G turns is like having someone push down on your head and shoulders. It is weird to hold your arm out in front of you in either situation, with the effects of Gravity changed.
As for flying: I have flown Cessna 172s, 182s, 206s, Piper Cherokees, a Remos sport plane, an Allarus sport plane, and a Twinstar helicopter. All feel very different but are all a joy to fly. Helicopters are a lot more sensitive on the controls, but you can do crazy stuff like going up and down lol. After take off in fixed wing aircraft, you feel tensions on the controls after take off, but you can adjust the "trim" on the aircraft to make it easier to fly. Just make sure you don't over control your turns and things like that... after all, we aren't fighter pilots
yet. Flying straight and level gets boring after a while (if you can believe that!), but once you challenge yourself with stalls, ascending and descending turns, radio communications, etc., it is really an absolute dream.
I'm currently going for my private pilot's license and got accepted to a Civil Air Patrol camp where I will get 10 hours of flight time and 25 hours of ground instruction for basically nothing (thank God for that organization). I plan to get that this summer (Note: I have never driven a car, yet have done all these other things lol).
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns in regards to aviation, please let me know!
I also have a video of a landing I did, although it is not much to see. And more pictures. Sorry if I sound like a pretentious braggy ass hole lol
