Cessna Ride, 1994

I was recently going through boxes of old photos when I ran across pictures of my first plane ride. In October 1994, my aunt and uncle (who live in Pella) arranged for me to ride in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk piloted by a friend of theirs. The flight was only about 30 minutes long, but it was a lot of fun and very memorable. It was a on a very still autumn evening just before sunset, perfect for flying and taking pictures.

My Grandma Brackin and my sister Abby are in the lower right corner of this photo:

I'm standing in the doorway of the plane and my dad is right behind me. My uncle rode along with me and my dad stayed behind. He's not a fan of flying.

My mom taking pictures of my dad taking pictures of the plane taking off. Everything was documented in full detail, we got it covered:

During the flight I saw a barn burning, so we circled it for a few minutes so I could take pictures:

Then we flew out over Lake Red Rock:

And that's it; those are the only surviving pictures of that experience. If I remember correctly, there were at least two rolls of film with pictures from that evening, but this is all that's left. It's enough, though! We buzzed around over Pella and along Highway 163, before circling back and making a steep landing on the small airstrip. We made a very rapid descent onto the runway; I think the pilot was having fun with us. It was worth every minute.

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.