The other day, a friend with a pilot’s license offered me the rare opportunity to ride in his small aircraft on a weekend. Whenever the weekend weather is good, he heads to the airstrip to fly his own plane. He took three of us up this time.
I was a little nervous heading to the airstrip that day. It’s located about thirty minutes away from central Sydney by car. I was amazed that there was one so close. The first thing we did after we arrived was check the aircraft. My pilot friend took fifteen minutes to painstakingly check everything inside and out. Then it was time to fuel up. A huge fuel truck appeared to fill the plane. We received a safety briefing before taking off, which explained how to wear the safety vests and what to do if we felt ill. We were also shown how to wear the headsets we would use to communicate.
The plane seated four. We were packed right next to each other with the doors right next to us. My nervousness spiked the moment I fastened my seatbelt. The plane started down the runway, and before I knew it, we were in the air. It was such a smooth takeoff that flying felt completely natural, like being in a dream.
We continued climbing, causing the streets below to appear smaller and smaller. Once we left the city, we could see the blue water and white sand along the beaches. Seeing places I had actually visited from the air was such an extraordinary experience. The cars and boats looked like little toys from above.
The entire flight lasted about an hour and a half. Our pilot picked a safe, open flight path that allowed us to see the beautiful streets of Sydney, the beaches, and even the Blue Mountains. When we were at a high altitude, I was overcome with the feeling that we were suspended motionless in the air, so I was shocked to learn that we were actually hurtling forward at 200 kilometers an hour.
My friend ended our tour with a gentle landing on the runway. Thanks to the mild weather, our flight was comfortable and free of turbulence. My heart was pounding even more than on an amusement park ride.
Something really hit me after the flight was over—experiences that we find extraordinary may actually be ordinary to other people. For me, flying in a small plane was a special event, but for my friend, it was just another typical weekend outing.
I asked him what made him want to fly. During the week, he is extremely busy at work and has a lot of heavy responsibilities, so it’s really stressful. On the weekends, flying is his way of resetting. It’s a testament to how much Australians value their personal time. He also told me that maintaining his piloting skills requires that he continues to fly.
It might sound a little exaggerated, but my experience made me realize that what is ordinary for one person may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for another. For example, I might go to a hot spring bath three times a week in Japan, but that same experience could seem like a dream for an Australian person.
My flight was definitely something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
