Eye Over Windsor…

Women of Aviation, an organization dedicated to getting more girls into flying and aviation, come to the Northern Colorado Regional Airport for the first time this week. As part of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (WOAW), girls and women of all ages were able to fly either in an airplane or helicopter for free.

Their stated mission:  “Most pilots owe their start in aviation to another pilot who noticed their interest and offered them a ‘ride’.

Fly It Forward® is a call of action to all pilots to extend the tradition to girls and women. During Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, pilots are invited to give girls and women who have never flown in a small aircraft previously, a first flight experience. The goal of Fly It Forward® is to spark aviation vocations among the female population.”

My girls and I were lucky enough to secure a spot and yesterday we flew!

Our pilot was an older gentleman named John. He oriented us to his airplane (one that sat only 4) and got us seated. He started up and we taxied to the end of the runway. Here, he takes out a pre-checklist before we take off. Then he gets out and inspects his engine. Things all pilots due, but seeing it in action made me nervous.

Off we went. We told him we lived in Windsor, so he flew us overhead to find our house. My middle daughter was the co-pilot, and she actually got to fly for a bit. My girls have never flown before (except when they were babies), so they were super excited.

Me? Not so much. I get airsick every time I fly and did everything possible to get out of this. I kept saying how we were all going to crash and die and I didn’t want to leave my husband and son alone and what if Mommy just stayed behind and took photos and waved from the safety and security of the unmoving earth beneath my feet…

But my girls were having none of it.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the flight for a grand total of 3 minutes. Then the air around me became oppressive.  I started to sweat profusely.  My head hurt and started swimming.  My stomach churned and the nausea bag was within reach, thank God.  We had to return a few minutes early because I had visions of me puking in this tiny plane and ruining the experience for all involved.  I put my head in my hands the rest of the flight and prayed.

We touched down, and I ran to the bathroom.  Not a pretty sight.

I had a massive headache for hours afterwards, and even after I ate and drank, I felt horrible.

I swore off flying for good, wondering why I choose to torture myself like this…

On the flip side, my daughters had a great time, loved every minute of it, and wanted to go again.

“Thanks, Mom! That was awesome! Everything looks so different from the air! I got to fly! Did you see our house from the air?!  That was so cool!”

The sacrifices I make for my children once again go unnoticed, unappreciated, and disregarded.

Ah, the story of parenthood…