A Man Takes Flight

It has been an elongated absence since my last Radical Change related post, months it would seem. That can only mean that my return to form must be marvellous and this return, has indeed been splendid.

You see, I have mastered the gravitational pull which has rendered the human race earth-bound and found my way into the cockpit of a plane. It helps having certain contacts, such as the man you mentor being a semi-qualified pilot capable of taking certain individuals on hourly jaunts in the sky..

Taking place last Monday, I jumped in the car to Essendon airport pumped to get back into the swing of things and also with a certain trepidation, it being the first time I've stepped foot in a light aircraft. Considering the seat space is comparable to a smart car, fair enough I reckon!

It took us a while to get up in the air, with multiple checks of the aircraft before taking off. Interestingtly enough, you don't fly a plane to the take-off area .. it drives itself through auto-pilot. This completely blew my mind when I realised, as the pilot didn't even have his hands on the wheel! Crazy times.

Word to the wise, don't load up on food before you fly in a small plane. I am extremely grateful that I did not, as even without food in my stomach the experience can be a bit stomach-churning. From Essendon we flew over to the Werribee training area, which for a town renound only for its sewrage plant, is surprisingly pictueresque from the sky.

Then it was time for the real flight to begin. It had been a fairly leisurely cruise up until that point, but it was then that my friend and pilot decided to put the plane through its paces, undertaking a series of sharp turns and limited acrobatics which to me seemed equal parts awesome and gravity-defying.

It has to be one of the weirdest feelings though when you start pulling some G's. Your body is going one way yet wants to go another. Your mind say's 'NO! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING' yet it's also oddly pleasing. Being stuck with a faulty headset upon takeoff was probably to blame for some of sickly feeling. Yelling with severe pressure placed on your ears is  not a good idea. Once I took the headset off I was able to relax and enjoy the sights a lot more.

Finishing off with a tour of Melbourne, which is a beautiful city from the sky we finally touched down, approximately an hour after takeoff. Landing is a freaky experience with such a light plane, it skids all over the tarmac and wants to keep on flying but eventually the plane was halted and we made our exit.

I have to state .. I am a land person and throughly enjoyed getting back on land, but flying in a small plane was one of the highlights of the Radical Change and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance. Enjoy some of the photos I've taken and anticipate another Radical Change shortly.

1. Play Laser Tag in a Suit
2. Play in my Church's Worship Band. 
3. Go on a spontaneous roadtrip
4. Watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain. 
5. Throw Darts at Paint-filled balloons.  
6. Go Paintballing
7. Go to the Zoo
8. Have a Picnic
9. Go wild whilist listening to Muse/Radiohead (whichever comes first) live. 
10. See three unknown/unsigned bands live.  
11. Finish an 80km bike ride in one day 
12. Go on a mission trip
13. Go campling with mates
14. Climb a big rock for no apparent reason
15. Go on a hike 
16. Go Microlighting 
17. Have A Cardboard War! 
18. Go to the Aquarium. 
19. See a movie at the Moonlight Cinema
20. Go on a roadtrip to another state
21. Go 4wding

22. Iceskating

23. Get into the cockpit of an aeroplane