Intro flight: My first time flying

So when I decided that I wanted to go to flight school I knew the first thing I had to do was book an introductory flight.

I just so happened to go to an Air show, a few weeks earlier and spoke to some instructors and pilots from flight schools that were exhibiting that day.

One of the flight schools had a special deal for introductory flights so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to put my details down and see what comes out of it.

I called and booked my appointment and the day that I had been waiting for had finally come!

My actual flight took place on the 12th of September 2017. It was quite a hot day but the skies were perfectly clear.

After filling out a few forms and getting my pilot kit we were off to the hangar to do our pre-flight inspection.

The plane we flew that day was a Cessna 172.

Before the flight, the instructor gave me a few last minute safety tips, I got in my seat and we started taxiing down the runway.

After getting clearance from ATC we began the take-off.

I couldn’t believe it. I was actually flying!

I will never forget how it felt to feel the power of the plane through my hands and my entire body during take-off. It’s an unexplainable feeling.

We flew over the Johannesburg CBD and I got to take control of the plane during the flight.

The flight lasted about 45 minutes.

To this day I honestly cannot even attempt to articulate this experience in a way that will do it justice. It was just spectacular.

I am more and more tempted to believe Captain Mark Van Hoenacker when he wrote in his book Sky Faring that- ‘’Language is yet to come up with words to describe the experience of flying..’’. So I’ll just leave it at that.

All I knew was that, that day a light turned on inside of me and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else with my life.

(All cockpit photos taken during non-critical phases of flight. With approval and in accordance with SACAA guidelines).