Graham Wall

Chapter 2:. Test Flight Formatted: Font: Bold

Formatted: Centered

There's a lot of turbulence on this sunny but windy May morning;: later I learn that there were

ferry cancellations. I relaxed my body, as if I were am paddling a racing kayak or outrigger

canoe on white caps, as that's what it feels like in this tiny two-seater aircraft: tippy.

The hundreds of hours I once spent crammed into delicate shell-like racing boats on False

creek Creek are the closest sensations to flying in the C-152essna 152 I can relate to. The air

feels like choppy water under us in continuous movement.

"Come on airplane, help me find the calm," I say to myself and as I feel it flatten out for mere

seconds. I do my best to keep the nose down, but --it bucks up continuously, like the head of a

stubborn Wwelsh Ppony I had as a child. The the plane, built in 1978, is older than my twenty-

six-26 year--old instructor.

Ameliay has me do a left roll (turn) to return to Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB). I slowly and

smoothly turn the control column left. —Iit feels and looks amazing, as the landscape and then

the horizon tilts away. Again, it feels like doing a graceful curve in a watercraft. All the while,

she Amelia encourages me and gives positive feedback.

She choose to teach at this particular flying club, because they're so supportive of

developing female pilots. When I arrived at the club, there was a swarm of young men hurrying

in the door ahead of me. Their mom’s gathered near the cars, patiently waiting to pick them up—

they don’t didn’t look old at all. However, inside waiting on the comfy leather chairs were two

other female students, albeit much younger than myself. We looked at each other and gave each

other a knowing smile as if to say, "We're sisters."

Graham Wall

We are passing through Vancouver International Airport (YVR) air space, and under their

tower's close scrutiny. We, we have to stay below 2,000 feett. altitude,, or there will be

repercussions. I keep it at 1,700 feett.

"I have control," Amy the Ace elia says and as she takes control on of her identical control

column and lands us in as smooth a landing as I've ever felt. She gives me instructions on taxing,

which is; done with your hands in your lap, looking relaxed, relaxed-looking and feet

controlling the rudder pedals.

It took takes me a bit of practice, but again, it felt feels like steering a kayak or using out-

rigger pedalspaddles. By the time we turned the corner, it becomesgot easy to follow on the

yellow line—, or maybe I wasn't I’m not fighting the easterly wind anymore?. The turbulence Formatted: Font: (Default) Times New Roman

flings us around. And I feel like I’m doing a terrible job, but she Amelia assures me I'm doing a

great job, as I'm being predictable and slow in my movements.

Ameliay gives me more positive feedback when we stop, and asks if I'm interested in

pursuing my license and having her as my instructor.

"Can't you tell by my smile?” I ask. I tell her I’m interested in getting my Rrecreational

Ppilot’s Ppermit (RPP) rather than a commercial pilot’s licensePrivate Pilot License (PPL). Here

are the differences:

RPP PPL Formatted: Left

Formatted Table
Less training hours training Training hours
(20 flight hours min.)imum) (45 flight hours minimum.)
Graham Wall

Ground school not required Ground school required (40 hours)

RPP PPL

Class 4 Medical medical exam by anyny Class 3 medical exam by an Formatted Table

general practitioner (GP) Aviation aviation Medical medical

eExaminer

Up to four seats No limit on seats

No ratings, except Float Planefloatplane Additional ratings, like Nightnight,

Mountainmountain, iInstrument,
and Twintwin, etc.

In Canada only Worldwide (with conversions)

Easy to upgrade or to PPL

Limited to flying 50 nautical miles No distinct limits

(NMnm) within airport (Canada)

Limited to flying 25 (nmN)M within

airport (USUnited States)

Limited to one passenger No passenger limits

(Example citation) Source: title or description of page; title of site; owner of site; URL. Formatted: Font: Italic

As I discussed this goal with my instructor, I changed my goal to go for the full PPL, as this

was something most pilots with their RPP eventually did. I'll be making the trip from Gibsons on

the ferry to Bounding CZBBBay Airport once or twice a week, staying at our condo in the city to
Graham Wall

get in as many flights in as possible during the week. The more funny part is that I could've

cycled on the gravel dike to CZBB when we lived in Tsawwassen, 25 twenty-five years ago. If

I’d taken in an introductory flight then, would I have caught the bug, or have been frightened out

of my mind? I could have done it as a teenager,s like some do. At that age, with laser eye

surgery, would I have even made it into a career, like my neighboursneighbors working for Air

Canada? It’s one of the many lives I’d lo ve to simultaneously live to find out.

Now that I’d made my decision to take to the sky, it’s time to break the news to my

significant other.