Jack Goes Flying

Today was a big day! So big in fact, that it started off before yesterday ended. Laura's good friend Teresa has been visiting with us since Wednesday and unbeknownst to me, since I was sound asleep, they stayed up till 3AM.

My day started at a more reasonable hour at the Huntsville Depot with the Tennessee Valley LEGO Train Club setting up a display for the day. It was quite well attended and after tearing it down later in the afternoon, Teresa, Laura, Jackson and myself headed to the airport.

Today's flight was Jackson's first of any kind and took us to Pell City, Alabama. Appropriately, Jackson was all decked out in his "Fly Guy" outfit! (see below)

We had been planning some sort or trip like this ever since we received a "Baby's First Year" calendar which included a sticker sheet containing a "First Airplane Ride" sticker. Naturally, we decided that Jackson's first flight had to be with Daddy at the controls. Making the event even more memorable, on this flight I would finally accumulate my 100th hour as a pilot!

As part of our preparations to see the Space Shuttle, I made Jackson a set of headphones out of some Tupperware cups and foam rubber which we finally got to try out today. At the time, this was a last minute effort triggered by the discovery that the kids headphones I had purchased for him came with earcups which could still swallow his face. Don't believe every review you find on the internet...

Anyway, we were a bit curious, worried actually, about how Jackson would handle the noise, climbs and descents. After a brief protest on the ramp, he settled right in as we taxied out to the runway. Just as we were taking off, he flashed a big smile, looked out the window for a few minutes, then fell asleep. That's my boy!

Pell City (PLR) is just off I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta and there's a mom-and-pop restaurant at the airport called Sammies Touch and Goes. With "preflights" instead of appetizers, a "co-pilots" section for a kids menu and nearly every dish named after an airplane, it's a... unique experience. Plus, you can taxi your plane right up to the parking lot, hop out and enjoy your meal with a view of the runway, watching the planes come and go. In fact, while we were there another 5 or 6 planeloads of people showed up for dinner in addition to all the locals who arrived via more conventional means of transportation.

On our way back, we enjoyed seriously smooth air, a beautiful sunset and took a little detour for a scenic trip around Huntsville. We flew up the parkway, spotted the marina, speedway, our church, downtown, the Schuster's house and our house before heading back to the airport. While we found Jackson needed to nurse during the first descent to keep his ears cleared, we made the 4000 foot descent on the return trip so gradual (with ATC's blessing) that he just slept through the whole thing.

Where to next... :)