It was
July 2001 and a friend of mine, Brad, called to ask me what I was doing the
next day and to see if I wanted to go for a ride in his plane with him to Eau
Claire, Wisconsin.
He said
that he had to get some flight hours in and that we would stop at an airport in
to eat some lunch before flying back home.
I had
some time on my hands so I said; “Yes”.
We met at
a hanger in Lake Elmo, Minnesota where Brad stored his airplane. After filing
his flight plan, he filled his plane tank with fuel and performed a pre-flight
check. Once it was completed, we got into the plane and buckled our seat belts.
The plane
was only a two-seater, about the size of a Ford Maverick; especially since each
side had a small window that could open. The rest of the windows offered a good
view.
Brad
spoke with the tower and we were given permission to approach the runway and to
take off.
The
flight was relatively smooth as we followed Interstate 94 East. To liven things
up, Brad asked me if I would like him to do a “barrel-roll”; which I declined.
Instead he tipped the wings and flew at a forty-five-degree angle so I could
get a better view.
I
requested that he fly horizontally instead; to which he obliged and continued
the ninety-minute flight to our destination.
The sky
was clear and the companionship was great as Brad spent time explaining the
instruments and what he was doing. Soon we arrived and he landed safely and
drove the plane to a place as directed by the tower.
We found
a place at the airport that served lunch and sat back and ate a meal together.
After a
while, we both mentioned that we should probably head back to Minnesota and
made our way back to the plane and departed for home.
Part way
through the flight, Brad asked me if I wanted to fly the plane. This plane had
two sets of pedals and two steering wheels which made it easy for either of us
to fly the plane at any time.
He knew
that I had flown simulators before and said that all I would have to do is
follow Interstate 94 West.
I should
clarify that even though the simulators are professional-grade and are the
exact same ones that commercial pilots use for training and recurrent training
on; I had never successfully landed a plane before.
In fact,
I had crashed every time that I tried to land.
But, to
my defense, I should add that I have never taken flying lessons; I was simply
able to use the simulators (under the watchful eyes of the person who ran them)
when I was working as a subcontractor at the Delta training center in
Minneapolis.
Brad
asked me again and instructed me what to do. I grabbed the wheel in front of me
and pressed into the opportunity. Brad, seeing that I had taken the wheel let
go of his side and sat back in his seat.
Instantly
my core-temperature went up and my hands became sweaty as I held tightly onto
the steering wheel as though it took all I had to steer it.
Brad told
me to not hang on so tightly, suggesting that I only needed to steer the wheel
with one or two fingers; “kind of like how you drive a car”. He added; “Let the
plane do its job. It was made to fly.”
How is
this like a car? Didn’t he catch that I had crashed every time that I tried to
land a commercial plane simulator?
Brad saw
that I was too tense so he folded his arms and said that he wasn’t going to
grab the wheel to bail me out. He said that I needed to calm myself and learn
to relax if I was going to fly solo.
So, I
worked hard to relax my grip and flew using only nine of my fingers as I tried
to once again enjoy the plane ride.
Just when
I would be feeling comfortable with letting the plane fly with minimal
assistance from me, a gust of wind would come up and shake the plane from side
to side.
And, once
again, I would grip the wheel tightly for my solo flight.
And once
again Brad would fold his arms and said that he wasn’t going to grab the wheel
to bail me out as he reminded me that I needed to calm myself and learn to
relax.
Needless
to say, the longer I flew, the more I did become relaxed and once again started
enjoying the ride.
As I
flew, I flashed back to how I did the same thing when I was learning to drive
the car and even then, held on too tightly to the steering wheel. In time I
learned to drive the car using only my knees; and this was before we had cell
phones to distract us!
As we
crossed the Minnesota border, Brad said that he would take over once again so
that he could get ready for making the landing. I let go of the steering wheel
and noticed that I had completely reshaped the steering wheel when I squeezed
it too tightly. Ok, that part I made up.
As we
were about the land, Brad looked at me and said; “Hey, I would have taken over
the controls if you had gotten into trouble. There is no way that I would have
let you crash the plane with me in it!”
As I
reflect, I wonder why I had tensed up; especially since Brad was with me the
whole time. Why had I acted as though I was flying solo and all alone?
Was it a
lack of trust or had my eyes been so focused on myself that I forgot that I had
an experienced and seasoned pilot with me who wasn’t going to let me fail?
He was
simply trying to let me learn to fly under his watchful eye and protection and
would take control should I get into trouble.
And then
I thought about my God.
Many
times, I felt as though I was flying solo as He allowed me to step out and go
through situations. Many times, I felt abandoned by Him as though He simply had
His arms folded and I was on my own.
Was it a
lack of trust or had my eyes been so focused on myself that I forgot that I had
an experienced and seasoned pilot with me who wasn’t going to let me fail?
He was
simply trying to let me learn to fly under His watchful eye and protection and
would take control should I get into trouble.
He would
never leave me nor forsake me.
Isaiah
41:10
“fear not, for I am with
you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will
help you,
I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.”
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a
publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
