Love in an Elevator

So, Denise, the heaviness you describe is very familiar to me, too. Let me see if I can take you away from that for just a little while.  I'm going to ask you to settle in somewhere very quiet, where you won’t be disturbed. When you are there, and feel you are ready, let me take you to another place.

You know the Livermore Valley, the warm California climate and the hills that roll between the ocean and the central valley. You saw Hummingbird Haven and watched gliders soar with your father when you were a little girl. Now pretend you’re there again now.  Look around at the field and feel the breeze.  Can you see me on the tarmack standing by a white and red airship, waving at you? It’s ok, you can walk over to me.  I’m about to take a flight, and I’m inviting you to join me.

Here’s a jacket. It’s  90 degrees on the ground, but it can get quite cool up there.

I'm going to do the preflight check, everything inside and out. Then I will get the glider towed down to the take off area. You’re going to wear a parachute, strictly FAA rules.

The only person I knew that jumped out of a glider was my Dad. During WWII he was designing and helping to build a transport glider for the Air Corp. It was towed behind a large plane, I think it was four engines, anyway the inexperienced pilot had many hours in power aircraft.  He was not qualified to fly this, but he was a high ranking officer and got what he wanted. And he wanted to fly a cargo glider. It could hold a jeep and guns and i don't know how many men it held, but on that day there were only a few who had worked on it. To make a long story short, he got into the prop wash and the glider broke up and everyone was killed except my Dad and one other guy whose name I have forgotten. They'd taken care to put chutes on. So the conclusion is, it’s alright you’re safe with me. I don't do crazy in the air, I do what I'm supposed to and that is that. I would like you to be as comfortable as you can be.

I see the tow plane is headed this way, so here's your chute.  Slip your arms through, that’s it, and grab those hanging and bring them up between your legs and clip them right here. OK now, let’s get you in and comfortable.

Ok Denise, step over and in and step right there, good now. Let me get the belts out of your way, there now you can sit. Don’t worry I would never do anything to harm you.

Let me show you how this is done. All these belts connect in this center piece, and if you want to release just push down on this.  Let’s pull your belts as tight as you can without feeling uncomfortable. I say this because we might get some high altitude and it’s a fun ride doing big loops and spiral dives. You’ll love it. Much better than amusement parks.  So how do you feel now?  Still a little nervous? That’s ok, you’ll be fine once we get airborne.  Ok I’m getting in, and you can try to feel the joy because I’m in heaven. Well, we are ready. The tow plane has taken up the slack and all I have to do is waggle the rudder and we're off. Are you ready?

I want you to place your feet on the rudder pedals and hold the stick and just follow through with me. OK here we go that’s just the wheels and we are aloft. You can see that the tow plane has yet to leave the runway. We are much lighter than he is, and have more lift so we have to keep just off the ground until he goes up, and there he goes, and now we climb up to 5,000 feet.

I know there’s a wave here and it will be beautiful!  Are you alright?  Well, try to relax. Nothing is going to happen to scare you.  This is real flying!  Denise, stay with me now.  This is important because I would like to see you enjoy this. Well, we are now climbing through 4,000 feet and soon to release.  Alright, follow through with me on the controls. It will help to get you into this because we are going to pull up a bit and then, here we go, a little nose down to give tow rope… some slack, release from the tow, and there we are. And is it quiet!  Just the wind noise, and look at the view!  I can see the whole valley, and look I was right, we’re now gaining 1,500 feet per minute. You can see it on the instrument panel, it’s called a variometer, it measures our up and down feet per minute.

 Sure is quiet. Is everything alright back there? You’re not saying much. And look, we are already at 9,000 feet and still going up… do you feel ok now?

Well, I'm sure glad that you're feeling more relaxed! This is amazing! It’s going up like an elevator and so smooth!  I just love it up here.  Look down at the surface. Here we are up here, free for a time, and no shit Denise look over to your right. Do you see them at 10,000 feet? They are small birds, I gotta get a closer look.  Feel the controls as we turn, gently I move the stick with a little rudder and pull back on the stick a little so the ship stays at the same attitude.  I want you to try later, but stay with me on the controls and you will start to get feel for how they work.  It's not complicated. Look Denise, I think those are sparrows, and they see us. Don't they seem intelligent? Well, maybe that's just me, I love to be up here with birds!

 If we get lucky, and I know we will, there are sometimes hawks and buzzards up to about 11,000 feet.  Look left, there they are!  They’re in the wave with us… now that is heartwarming.  We're still climbing and just passing 12,000 feet. This is perfect, you could not have picked a better time to experience this. It’s clear and now we can see the Bay Area, a little higher and we can see the ocean.  OK, Miss Denise, I want you to fly.  You have the controls, just listen to me as we go. Now, all control is done in small movements, listen to the ship it as has its own signature sound, listen to it. Right now you’re letting the nose down I can hear it.  Just ease back on the stick but keep it level, that’s it, now let’s try a wide turn to the left. First I’ll do it, and you follow through. Get the feel.  See how I ease back on the stick while I turn and just a little rudder at the same time, the nose is at the same attitude as when we were going straight, so you try and I'll be right with you.  Ok, you have it. That’s it, and you’re doing very good, back a little, this ship is easy to get going.

Alright, good job, now let’s go the other way.  Watch the way you feel with the ship. Try to connect to it like it’s an extension of your body.  Damn! We are at 18,000, and I think we should go down a couple of thousand feet.  We need to keep breathing, and the air gets pretty thin up this high. I feel that we are safe at 16,000 and not too long. Now, look at the view and the quiet and how peaceful it is up here. So you feel like doing some more control work?  Good. I knew I liked you, but this really special. You’re the second woman to fly with me. That’s something of itself. Well,  I think we can say this is a great experience. What do think so far?

So here we are at 18,000 feet, and I'm now at 140 mph, and we are zero sink.  That means I have got to find the down side of this wave. I don't want alarm you, but let me explain what we're doing. It’s just like the waves in the ocean.  They rise up and then they come crashing down. Well, up here it’s on a different scale. We've been in the up side, now we have to go down. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable so I'm not going to just pull the dive brakes and put the nose toward the ground, although I have to tell ya it's fun doing just that. No worries Denise, I'll take good care of you. You’re going to feel a rumble when we get to the edge of the wave. I think I can best explain it by example.

You've seen water falls, I know. You know how when you’re on a river, there’s a sound you can hear when you’re near the waterfall. Then it’s over the falls you go. This is quite similar, when we get close to the edge you feel the ship start to get bumpy and it won't be long after that we will be going over the falls, so to speak. Oh shit, hold tight, it's going to be a little crazy! Yahooooo !  2,000 feet per minute down! Oops. Sorry about that!  Everything is ok, the ship is very strong, and I told you I would never harm you, and that's fact. See, it really isn't that bad is it? Now stay with me on the controls. This is critical if you want to fly. You have to stay with this no it  matter what the weather is throwing at you.  We'll get down a ways and then guess what? That’s right, we are going back up. So breathe while there's plenty of oxygen cause we are going back up, and then we're going to fly out toward the ocean.  I just love this, Denise, I'm so happy that you’re with me!  This is such a treat for me.  I just love sharing this with you. OK, here we are back in it and check this out. We're in a stronger part of the wave.  Who said it couldn't get any better?

This is amazing. We are climbing at 120 mph and gaining 2,300 feet per minute. This is gold, baby, pure gold!  Son of a bitch, look at the altimeter! We are just about to hit 20,000 and that’s it for Papa, I'm going outta here like a screaming banshee!  This ship has a placard of 170 mph and I think we, that's you and me, I just think we should see just where that is. Don't feel like that… these ships are capable of much higher speeds than this. I'm not going to push the limit, just see where it is. Just stay with me on the controls; I just love to go fast in these high performance sailplanes. Nose down and let’s haul some major ass here. Listen to the wind it's talking to us, I can hear it saying fly on fly on, don’t stop, just keep going.

 It's a wonderful thought isn't Denise?  I tried to tell you I'm a little weird didn't I? Well, just stay with it. Listen to this thing! It’s loving this, it was made to do this, and we are doing it to it.

On a spectacular day with you, this is true bliss and we're dressed!  Just kidding. Look we are now at top recommended speed and the ship is singing to us, and what a symphony of sound.  Now say something so I know you’re alright, Denise? Hey Lady in the rear seat, I mean you.  That's ok, I keep forgetting that this is your first time in a glider.  Well, how do you like it so far, Denise?  Say anything!  Well, you had me there for a moment, you’re enjoying this on the whole though right? Good, glad to hear that and I do apologize for not being more thoughtful.

I never said I was perfect. Shut the hell up Larry, you talk too much. Now we have lost a lot of altitude, we’re still at 15,000 feet  and we are alright at this point for a while. Anyway, the ship is always headed for the barn.  Mother Earth us calls back, and when she does we hafta go.  So, in the meantime let’s have some fun that doesn't make you fearful. There's nothin ta be worried about, this is one of the safest places there is. Think about it Denise, what can harm you up here?  Oh, I know, an airliner could come crashing into us, or a lightning bolt could come out of nowhere or, or… that's really chickenshit of me.  Damn, I just don't know what gets into me sometimes.

How about sweeping turns just like we are birds gliding over the Earth looking at anything we want, and free as birds so to speak. You’re going to fly this ship, take a deep breath and let everything go. Your life depends on you learning how to control this glider, cause I'm jumping out. Now that would be real chickenshit. So ya ready ta go back there?  Good then follow through with me, it's not difficult. I move the stick a little to the left, and at the same time I'm giving a little left rudder pedal.  As I have said, the tendency of the ship is to speed up when you turn, so ease back on the stick, see how little effort you actually use. It’s  a very smooth type of thing. Learn to feel the ship and rely not so much on the instruments. They have their purpose, but feel is how you really fly, and the ship becomes an extension of you. Wow, Perl, you can wax philosophical. I just threw that in there. I have no idea why, I actually thought you would know. Well, back to the ship. Shit, I'm real sorry I messed up like that.

How do you feel Denise?  You feel good with that, I’m so glad you wanna do it again. Alright let's go, and this time I'll be following through on you. Just so you understand, I like me so I'm just gonna kind of be right on top of you, I really don't think you'll need any assistance, so you’ve got it Gal, let it happen, that's it. That's it… ok… ok… a little… Oh, never mind you got it, good job Denise, I'm so fuckin happy I can't even say it.  I might be able ta drum it though, ya just never know.

OK woman, now show me your stuff and turn right without any help from me, you got it… oh shit, you’re trying scare me, I know you are!  Stop it please!  Well, give it awhile.  I like scared sometimes…  ya know it is a little adrenalin rush, wouldn't you say so Miss- I'm- Flying- the-Friggin-Glider.  What's next?  Y'all will want to vote an everything.  The world… forget the world… we are on top of it and it feels good to me, how about you, Miss Denise? I love that for some damn reason, there's another one you'll probably have the answer to.

 So what do you think we should do next? I’m telling you a loop is not scary, it’s a beautiful thing of grace and harmony and you get to be the witness to it's magic, so what do you say, are ya with me here? I like the sound of yes. Let’s go through it together. Nose down get some speed and can you dig the sounds of whatever it is that makes all this happen?  So relax and go with this. Trust me.  There's 120 mph, that should be plenty, although I have never done this in such a high performance ship. Yeah, I am laughing. You’re going and you know it, cause I just power tripped you, and into a loop no less, and just when you thought you can trust this asshole he pulls this crap on ya!  Oh, over hills and through the woods, yea mama we going now! Oh yea, upside down, now you can tell your friends Perl showed you a new position! You're upside down... Oh here we are coming out and we're picking up a lot of speed!  Ah, dontcha just love it though, tell me what was that to you?

Wow stop! We're too high!  I might jump, I knew you would do that. You're a hard card ta play sometimes. Wanna try a roll? No, hmmmm....?  Well, ok let’s do more sweeping turns and get a little more angle of attack.  The speed will increase some and most noticeable will be the G forces, which I'm sure you’re well aware of what those are.  Ready?  No?

Ok.  Well, let’s leave us up in the air above Mount Diablo for awhile.  I’m glad to hear from you that your heaviness has lifted a bit and you think you can sleep. That’s all I wanted to do for you.

I loved the flight at least as much as you did and we can come back to it anytime you want.

Sweet dreams.