Flying High

Independence Day in Independence was a blast, but the most fun thing we did was go for a scenic ride in a Cessna! During the parade that morning we saw a plane fly overhead pulling a banner that advertised $20 plane rides and that was an adventure we couldn't pass up. Cynthia and I drove out the the rural airstrip after the parade and went up for a ride over town and got some cool shots.

The plane was a slow-moving Cessna 172 Skyhawk II:

When we met our pilot we were surprised to see that she looked like she was in high school, but as it turns out she was a college student and had been flying planes for years. We both thought she looked a lot like Lauren Lapkus, heh.

We piled in and taxied down to the head of the runway:

Woo hoooo!

I told the pilot that I was a photographer and she let me open my window so I could get clearer shots:

As soon as I stuck my camera out the window I realized how hard it was going to be keep it steady as I took pictures. It's not the same as sticking something out a car window, a plane travels faster and that wind will about beat you to death if you don't sit back. Made me glad that I stuck to my self-imposed rule of never holding my camera without it strapped around my neck.

We're flying!

Independence, Iowa:

The Wapsi River:

The south side of town with the old high school and the public pool:

The old mill along Main St.:

People out cruisin' the Wapsi:

The train depot. The pilot (I forgot her name) banked sharply in a few spots so I could get a good shot straight down:

I like this shot mainly because the way the lens gives the horizon some curvature and it makes the earth feel so much smaller:

There's St John's Church in the middle and the Buchanan County Courthouse at the bottom:

And the old mill again as we circle back over town:

Lots of trees and stuff:

Banking to line up with the runway:

Then we landed and that was a bummer because the time went so fast while we were flying high.