#adventureissue

I can’t believe I’ve been flying for almost three years now, time flies, literally! Soon, when I’m able to leave my baby for a little more than a couple of hours, I’ll be back at it properly. Oh, I cannot wait! For now, my training is with a little toy airplane, using my baby as a runway called “Mike-India-Lima-Oscar”. My baby boy seems to love it when our Skyhawk toy plane performs touch and goes, don’t ask me why?!

When I did my first solo flight a few months ago, it was one of the best, yet terrifying, feelings, I’ve experienced. I remember when I was taking off for the first time, thinking: “Shit, I really have to land this thing now.” There was no-one else on board to help.

No matter how much you practice and study, or how many hours you spend with the instructor, it’s a real moment of contemplation when you’re up there alone, no one else to rely on for help. If there’s an engine failure, you and only you are the one who has to deal with it.

On my third solo landing, my confidence had kicked in and I felt like I could do anything! This was the time when I had to be extra careful, this is when people make mistakes. I was also pregnant on first solo flight, so that definitely added to the whole stress.

Up there, in the fluffy skies, everything looks reachable, the world is at your feet, it’s a gorgeous little puzzle down there, it’s truly breathtaking. As Leonardo DaVinci said: “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward…” I feel the same. Once I put my feet on those pedals, left hand on the yoke, right one on the throttle and do the radio call: “LI Tower, eight seven hotel foxtrot, ready for take off, runway two four”, I’m at my happiest. I feel so cool, free, safe and full of energy and excitement. It comes so naturally these days that, when I drive a car I tend to use pedals to turn instead of a steering wheel. It’s really bad- my husband refuses to drive with me these days.

As flying is one of my own most exciting adventures, I thought I’d share what I carry in my pilot bag in this month’s #adventureissue.

Here we go:

New York Sectional Chart, Jeppesen book to study everything I need for becoming an instrument commercial pilot, the most amazing Bose A20 Aviation Headset, Skyhawk Operating Handbook, Skyhawk checklist that I always bring into a cockpit, Dolce & Gabbana aviators, of course, flight computer to do my flight planing and my pilot log that includes all the flights & hours I’ve flown. All this goes into my camouflage Pilot bag.