First Flight

On December 15th, Geoffrey achieved his dream of becoming a private pilot. Due to weather and some airplane issues, we weren't able to go flying until today. We had a great time and after I got over the initial shock of

a) how old the airplane was (close to 30 years old) and
b) how small the interior was (TINY!) and

c) my major fear of flying in a small aircraft (which I'd been scared about for at least 2 years)

...I was really able to enjoy our time. We cruised out to Brunswick Maryland, then to Charlestown WV and back home. Here are some shots of what I hope is the first of many more airplane trips.

Here was our ride...a Cessna 172P. As I mentioned earlier, I was really shocked (and a little freaked out) by how old it looked. But Geoffrey assured me that it was just paint, and reminded me that the planes are routinely inspected. Plus, its one of the cheapest airplanes to rent and I'm all for that.

After receiving a pretty extensive pre-flight safety briefing on how to work the seatbelt (its a 2-parter), the window and most importantly the door (incase I had to open it prior to an emergency landing), we were off. We headed down the runway and were in the air in no time and taking in some lovely views of Loudon County and the Potomac.
The trusty pilot.
And his co-pilot. (well not really, but I did a good job of keeping him company and being quiet when someone was talking on the radio)
After leaving Loudon County we flew over the town of Brunswick in Maryland, where Megan, Sam & the boys live. Unfortunately I didn't get a good shot of their house...next time.

Some of the controls.
The yoke in the co-pilots seat. I didn't touch it the whole time and had no desire to. Maybe next time I'll get up the nerve to take the controls.
We then flew out to Charlestown, WV, home of the "famous" races and slots. It was then time to turn around and head back to Leesburg, Airport. On the way in Geoffrey was excited to hear that a Piaggio would be landing shortly after us. Here's the Piaggio, which is a much fancier airplane than the one Geoffrey and I traveled on. Its a 5 million dollar aircraft and if anyone is interested, is available for private charter :)... The family that was traveling on this plane even brought along their 2 dogs...so I of course had to snap a picture. Sorry pugs, I don't think we'll be traveling like this anytime soon.