Something a little more fun than doom-porn - My Son's first flying lesson + Bonus video

With all the doom and gloom surrounding the C/V lately, I wanted to post something that at least for me, lifts my spirits.

Below are two videos including one I've recorded of myself and my Sons on a Helping Wings flight around our home island of Jersey, CI, and one of my eldest Son (17) taking his first flying lesson - it was just us two and the flight instructor on that flight.

In the videos you can see La Corbière Lighthouse, which was the first lighthouse constructed out of concrete in the British Isles, German observation points from the WW2 occupation of the Channel Isles, Napolionic Forts, other fun stuff, and my Mums house (good luck picking it out, lol).

The videos are pretty short and include brief photo montages at the end.

We've been on a couple of the Helping Wings flights but this is all the video I've put together. These were some of the happiest days of my life, I watch these videos from time to time, and tear-up most of the time while watching them.

*Helping Wings is a charity that takes kids with 'issues' and disabled people on flights so that they can do something fun that they might normally be denied or simply not have access to. My eldest Son is on the autistic spectrum, they tried to throw him to the dogs when he was young, just as they did me, only difference was that I stuck around to fight his corner. He passed all of his GCSE's, undertook a successful two week work experience placement at the Aero club as a trainee aircraft engineer, and is currently studying digital games development and coding at college, he's doing well, and I'm proud as punch.

Man, after growing up without close family, and being hundreds of miles away from the nearest person who actually cared about me, I feel like the luckiest man in the world having these guys around me 💚

Riding the backseat on my Son's first flying lesson



Helping Wings flight around the island with both my Boys, with brief tour of the ATC tower and photo montage



It might not be everyone's cup of tea, and the camera work might be a little shoddy, but to me it's treasure.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Well I didn't hear anyone screaming, so I guess it all went well. LOL

So cool...proud dad.

originally posted by: Night Star
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Well I didn't hear anyone screaming, so I guess it all went well. LOL

Did you happen to see that video of the family in a single engine plane that lost power? It’s a husband flying, wife in passenger, and two boys in the back on iPads oblivious to everything.

Basically the plane looses power and they are talking to ATC about where/ how to land. You can tell they are panicking but trying to keep it together to not alarm the children.

They end up landing safely and as soon as they know they are safe the emotion all floods forward to the surface and they both break down crying. It really shows the type of person you have to be to be a pilot.

Thats awesome that you and your boy got to do that together.

Awesome vids, It's cool you all had a great time.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

That’s amazing brother.
Nothing, and I mean nothing can beat the feeling of a fathers pride as we watch our children accomplish significant feats.
Tell the boy we’re proud of him here at ATS.

What beautiful country, I was watching before I read in your comments and was thinking where on the coastal US looks that way. Very cool.

I was thirty two before I took flying lessons. It was great, I logged in twenty hours of flying, just about ready to go solo. The last time I flew, The headwind quit while landing, a forty mph headwind disappeared. It is cool how you just start floating down and bobbing around when not enough wind is going through the wings. The instructor headed way down and gave it full throttle aiming at the runway and we quit falling, but I could not land because of the speed, he had me try so I could feel how you can't get the wheels on the ground if you are going too fast.

My heart beat about two hundred beats per minute for three hours after that, I figured I would never pass the physical with my tachychardia anyway so I quit at that point. Flying a plane is really cool.

a reply to: Quantumgamer1776

No, I didn't see that video. Hell, I won't even get on a plane, never mind trying to fly one. Yikes!

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity
That's so cool you've given him the opportunity to fly. Enjoy your time together. My dad taught me to fly at 15 before I could drive, those were some of my best memories ever as a kid that will never be forgotten.

Great feel good story and videos. You have every reason to be proud of him and the job you've done as a father.

.

The only thing I remember from my first lesson +40 years ago is the instructor telling me how safe the plane was, he shut down the engine to make a point while I was sweating bullets.....

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Did he buzz the tower or was the pattern full?

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Did he buzz the tower or was the pattern full?

Pattern was full, but he cracked-on anyway 😉

Thank you all for the kind words, it means a lot, believe it or not