I was simply sky high over the birthday surprise from my husband, a discovery flight with Paragon Flight at the historic Page Field in Fort Myers, FL.
What is a discovery flight?
A discovery flight is a short introductory flight for any individual who is curious about flying an airplane. It is led by a certified flight instructor or commercial pilot. It is intended that the individual taking the discovery flight actually participates in flight, as opposed to sitting back for a scenic ride. The nature of it is non-committal and casual, but there are many who go on to progress in pilot lessons for personal or career goals.
The Discovery Flight Experience
I had my flight on a Sunday morning at 10am. This was actually rescheduled from Friday because it would have been too windy. Thankfully, Sunday morning was calm, sunny, and clear skies in Fort Myers, When I arrived with my husband, I gave my drivers license and waited to meet my instructor, Chris. It turns out he used to be a flight attendant too, and turned into a pilot, so that was pretty cool. He was such a nice and easy-going teacher and I felt trust in him right away. He gave us a tour of the facility which is a training school, and we headed out to the aircraft, a Piper, to go over the pre-flight checklist.
It came time to climb inside the aircraft, and I said goodbye to my husband. I was seated aircraft left in what is typically the Captain seat. Chris let me try out taxiing which utilizes your feet to steer. I was not great at staying center, but I understood the concept. Before I knew it, I was actively following his specific instructions to create the takeoff down the runway. With sheer delight, found that we were airborne, and before I knew it he had turned all control over to me to fly. I got to spend probably 80% of our time together, flying the aircraft myself with his instruction. I learned how to ascend or descend the nose of the aircraft, and how to turn. Once I got to do a very steep turn. We also did some g-force maneuvers which were the same level of excitement as being on a fantastic roller coaster! I was smiling the entire time! We flew over the gulf a bit, and the view above Fort Myers was beautiful. The time went quickly honestly, and sadly it was time to head back to Page Field. The instructor took over the controls for the landing, but I could keep my hands on the controls so I could feel what it would be like. What a thrill!
Will I train to become a pilot now? No, I don’t see that being my calling. But I sure enjoyed every moment of it. I have respect for the training and knowledge of my pilot co-workers. If you are in Fort Myers and want to try a discovery flight, I totally recommend flying with Paragon.
