I got to go flying with Berck today!

Last night Berck told me he had an 8 a.m. flight. “I bet my instructor would let you ride in the back.”

So we got up early this morning and drove over to the airport. Mike was like, “Sure. But we’re just doing pattern work.” That means flying around and around the airport practicing landings. He even got me a headset to wear.

Berck is currently flying a Cessna 172 with retractable gear. Which means he has to remember to pull them up and put them down each time around.

The first time in the pattern, I just stared all around. It’s so cool to see the town where you live from the air. Berck says that he’s yet to find our apartment, but we flew over it each time around. The second time I snapped a bunch of pictures, especially of the apartment. This was tricky because we pass it right when we’re turning downwind. It’s like trying to take a picture of a corner lot when turning in a car. Really fast. Mainly, I just pointed the camera out the window and tried to click at the right time.

The third time around, I started feeling really queasy. If you sit the backseat of a 172 RG, you can’t see out the front. I could see out the sides just fine. Even though it was a smooth day, the wind kept us pretty well buffeted, especially around turns. And we were constantly landing and taking off, which works havoc on one’s ears, especially when wearing a heavy headset.

I think if we had been going somewhere different, instead of just flying in circles, it would have been better…I would have had new things to gawk at and not had time to feel sick. It’s a good thing I didn’t eat breakfast.

So the first part of the flight was really fun, and the rest of it was really not. But it was good to be able to go and see Berck have a lesson. I could hear all his conversation with his instructor through the headset. Near the end, each time we were flying downwind, they would say, “Okay, one more touch and go, and then we’ll full-stop,” only to repeat it the next time. Maybe that kept me from feeling too bad, thinking that I just had to last one more time around. Next time I’ll take some ginger. I bet that would be sure to do the trick.

I guess I won’t be coming along for tomorrow’s lesson. They’re practicing maneuvers.