Slip the surly bonds of Earth, vicariously
March 20, 2013 1:07 AM Subscribe
Come along when Lainey, six years old, goes for her first ever airplane ride in her family's open-cockpit 1946 Champ (SLYT).
I like the big smile on her face as the airplane leaves the ground. Even with the headphones on, the noise of the engine is really, really loud and I'm surprised she wasn't put off by it. My six year old goes running when I grind coffee beans.
posted by three blind mice at 2:13 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by three blind mice at 2:13 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bizarre soundtrack choice
posted by smackwich at 2:39 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by smackwich at 2:39 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Sigh.
posted by sonascope at 3:18 AM on March 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by sonascope at 3:18 AM on March 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
It was lovely to see the joy on her face, but that song choice was incredibly bizarre.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:05 AM on March 20, 2013
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:05 AM on March 20, 2013
I assume there was no wind at all, being as he landed in the opposite direction to his take off. Huh. Flying in something with the side completely open like that is one step further into the brave direction, I'd have thought. Even the little spindly doors gives a sense of security to some people, but I guess she was lucky not to be old enough to have those kind of preconceptions.
The poor girl needed something wrapped around the top of those headphones, though, as they clearly didn't adjust for her head size. Dropping headphones is really annoying.
posted by Brockles at 4:55 AM on March 20, 2013
The poor girl needed something wrapped around the top of those headphones, though, as they clearly didn't adjust for her head size. Dropping headphones is really annoying.
posted by Brockles at 4:55 AM on March 20, 2013
Great to see her expression change from "oh shit!" to "this is cool". Put a smile on my face. Technically, this isn't an "open cockpit," it just has it's door removed but flying with a door(s) off always does feel really great. That's a fancy Champ, btw. The one I used to fly had no electrical system, no radio and had to be hand propped to start. Most certainly a tail dragger though.
posted by Dean358 at 5:23 AM on March 20, 2013
posted by Dean358 at 5:23 AM on March 20, 2013
I like the big smile on her face as the airplane leaves the ground.
Believe me, that doesn't go away.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:55 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Believe me, that doesn't go away.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:55 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I got the chance to fly in a small plane for the first time last year and there is nothing like it. Watching this, I could feel again everything I felt that time -- including the zero G when our pilot got adventurous. Getting my license is my first "when I graduate and have money" goal.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:19 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by DoubleLune at 6:19 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
It sure beats fighting ones way into seat 25B in between a stout sweating businessman and the mother of a baby with a head-cold on a delayed and fully booked Friday evening service flown by a misanthropic airline whose prime motivation seems to be flogging lottery scratch cards.
Enjoy it while you can Lainey!
posted by rongorongo at 6:28 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Enjoy it while you can Lainey!
posted by rongorongo at 6:28 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
I like the big smile on her face as the airplane leaves the ground.
I was in my late 20s when I took an intro flight in a Diamond Katana and I recall screaming with joy the second we left the ground. "HOLY SHIT I'M FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE!", I believe I said. I continued my lessons in a Cessna 152 and as bsp said up above, the joy happens every single time.
Every year when I'm up in Acadia I see an open cockpit bi-plane flying around. They give rides out of Bar Harbor Airport and one of these days I'm going to throw down the cash for it. Flying in an open cockpit is pretty high on the list of shit I want to do.
posted by bondcliff at 6:44 AM on March 20, 2013
I was in my late 20s when I took an intro flight in a Diamond Katana and I recall screaming with joy the second we left the ground. "HOLY SHIT I'M FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE!", I believe I said. I continued my lessons in a Cessna 152 and as bsp said up above, the joy happens every single time.
Every year when I'm up in Acadia I see an open cockpit bi-plane flying around. They give rides out of Bar Harbor Airport and one of these days I'm going to throw down the cash for it. Flying in an open cockpit is pretty high on the list of shit I want to do.
posted by bondcliff at 6:44 AM on March 20, 2013
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Very true, no matter the source of the quote.
posted by exogenous at 6:49 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by exogenous at 6:49 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
As someone with neither a daughter nor an airplane...
Sigh.
posted by GoingToShopping at 6:57 AM on March 20, 2013
Sigh.
posted by GoingToShopping at 6:57 AM on March 20, 2013
A kid would probably be cheaper and require less maintenance.
posted by bondcliff at 7:00 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by bondcliff at 7:00 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Nice, but I have a similar complaint about the song.
Mainly because whenever I hear it now, I think of this scene from Community.
posted by King Bee at 7:24 AM on March 20, 2013
Mainly because whenever I hear it now, I think of this scene from Community.
posted by King Bee at 7:24 AM on March 20, 2013
If you have a child and would like for them to get a free flight in a small airplane, the EAA young eagles is for you.
Flying in those old tail draggers is an amazing experience. I got a chance to fly in one during a hunting trip to Montana in my late teens. My dad had brought a cooler full of smoked salmon to offer ranchers in exchange hunting on their land, and one of the ranchers it turned out was a fighter pilot in WWII. He had served with Bush the elder, even. Anyway, he offered to go scout the area and see where the deer were at for us (any excuse to go flying, right) and he took me along.
It was more thrilling than this, as he flew down through narrow canyons and cooleys like Luke going through the trench. I didn't care about the deer, I was having a blast.
Fuck. I need to try and talk my wife into flying lessons again...
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:59 AM on March 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Flying in those old tail draggers is an amazing experience. I got a chance to fly in one during a hunting trip to Montana in my late teens. My dad had brought a cooler full of smoked salmon to offer ranchers in exchange hunting on their land, and one of the ranchers it turned out was a fighter pilot in WWII. He had served with Bush the elder, even. Anyway, he offered to go scout the area and see where the deer were at for us (any excuse to go flying, right) and he took me along.
It was more thrilling than this, as he flew down through narrow canyons and cooleys like Luke going through the trench. I didn't care about the deer, I was having a blast.
Fuck. I need to try and talk my wife into flying lessons again...
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:59 AM on March 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
To-do List:
1. Find a partner.
2. Make/adopt/borrow/steal a baby.
3. Purchase entire discography of Alanis Morissette.
4. Record every second of their life.
5. Share.
posted by Fizz at 8:17 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
1. Find a partner.
2. Make/adopt/borrow/steal a baby.
3. Purchase entire discography of Alanis Morissette.
4. Record every second of their life.
5. Share.
posted by Fizz at 8:17 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ha! I still clap like that on takeoff! Man, I love to fly.
posted by heyho at 8:21 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by heyho at 8:21 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
There are a couple of very nice smiles there. Cute kid.
But allow me to be another heartless, soulless husk saying it was very hard to concentrate given the choice of "Linger," a/k/a "please stop tormenting me by insisting I dance around the frozen dead body of our love and let me walk off into the meaningless future I will have without you, because until you do so I am helpless."
posted by Linda_Holmes at 8:21 AM on March 20, 2013
But allow me to be another heartless, soulless husk saying it was very hard to concentrate given the choice of "Linger," a/k/a "please stop tormenting me by insisting I dance around the frozen dead body of our love and let me walk off into the meaningless future I will have without you, because until you do so I am helpless."
posted by Linda_Holmes at 8:21 AM on March 20, 2013
For everyone above who might consider taking flying lessons: go for it! I strongly recommend taking a sail plane (glider) lesson first. It's the purest form of flying there is, your proverbial "stick and rudder." It will give you an amazing feel of the atmosphere and it's pretty inexpensive as aviation goes, typically less than $100 for an intro lesson. It's also crazy beautiful and it's the way the US Air Force begins training cadets. You can find more details from the Soaring Society of America's website: www.ssa.org Blue skies!
posted by Dean358 at 8:24 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Dean358 at 8:24 AM on March 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
I'm guessing they were going for "girl-theme" with the music. Heh.
posted by heyho at 8:24 AM on March 20, 2013
posted by heyho at 8:24 AM on March 20, 2013
That made me smile at least as wide as she did. Thanks.
posted by JeffK at 10:29 AM on March 20, 2013
posted by JeffK at 10:29 AM on March 20, 2013
I would not be surprised if the music selection was done by someone like my mother, who just does not seem to absorb the meaning of lyrics of pop songs. It's like she hear the words as words. If a song sounds pretty, it *is* pretty. Period.
On topic, the "hey, I'm flying" arm waving at about 1:45 and the "Hi Mommy!" a bit after that were particularly adorable.
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:11 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
On topic, the "hey, I'm flying" arm waving at about 1:45 and the "Hi Mommy!" a bit after that were particularly adorable.
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:11 AM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Protip - airplane goes faster if you make airplane noises with your mouth while flying.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:23 AM on March 20, 2013
posted by backseatpilot at 11:23 AM on March 20, 2013
This is great. I love to take kids flying in my taildragger! (Alas, not as often as I'd like.)
Special MeFi offer -- if you're in the Bay Area and want a ride in an old-school taildragger (a Citabria, which is a Champ with a slightly larger engine) let me know. Or if you want your kid to have a ride. No charge, of course, and you will get to fly the airplane.
posted by phliar at 11:30 AM on March 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Special MeFi offer -- if you're in the Bay Area and want a ride in an old-school taildragger (a Citabria, which is a Champ with a slightly larger engine) let me know. Or if you want your kid to have a ride. No charge, of course, and you will get to fly the airplane.
posted by phliar at 11:30 AM on March 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Phliar, I can be down in the Bay Area in... (checks watch) 18 hours. Once I get a car. And steal a kid.
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:11 PM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:11 PM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm not so sure it is such a bad song choice. I mean, after about 15 seconds, that little girl had me wrapped around her finger.
posted by 4ster at 1:59 PM on March 20, 2013
posted by 4ster at 1:59 PM on March 20, 2013
Folks, some of us, some of the time, don't pay so much attention to the lyrics as we do the music. This song has some pleasant, upbeat music that fits this little girl's airplane ride just fine. Sheesh.
posted by zardoz at 2:21 PM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by zardoz at 2:21 PM on March 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Here's a nice little taildragger for sale. I don't see a price in the eBay ad, but here the owner is asking $20k or best offer. Includes six hours of free instruction. You know you want it!
posted by exogenous at 10:51 AM on March 21, 2013
posted by exogenous at 10:51 AM on March 21, 2013
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This is great, I love her face moving from apprehensive to pleased almost on rotation.
I grew up around small airports, my dad had his license, and I love it, but my other, better half swears our little ones will not be flying in small aircraft. I have thought about getting my own license.
posted by C.A.S. at 1:35 AM on March 20, 2013