Editor:
On June 8 I went on my first plane ride.
We arrived at the Springhouse Airpark for the Williams Lake Flying Club’s annual Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Flight 21 airplane rides and checked in. I got my name tag and met my pilot.
On my first flight I was scared to go on the plane because I was afraid to go up high.
My pilot’s name was Marty. He was very kind to me and made me feel safe in the plane. Marty had to make the plane go really fast so that it could take off and I was a bit afraid of that but after I got in the sky I conquered my fear.
It looked very cool up high! The plane is a red and white 1947 piper and very old (older than my grandma).
Only two people can fit in this plane, the pilot and one passenger.
I think that Marty was talking to other planes on his headphones and I got to talk to him on my headphones.
The inside of the plane is very small but it had windows big enough for me to see out.
There were dials in the plane that told the pilot where we were in the sky but there was no steering wheel!
It was OK, though, because there was a stick thing in front of Marty that he used to steer us around with.
Up in the sky I saw trees and a big river. It was fun going on the plane. I even got a certificate that says I did it!
I flew in a plane for the first time and then Marty gave me my new nickname — Smiley!
On the way back in the car, my grandma and I saw two deer cross the road and jump a fence right in front of us. That was cool, too.
I want to go on a plane again next year!
A very big thank you to Marty and all the volunteers from the Williams Lake Flying Club that made my very special day possible.
Kendra O’Neill
Williams Lake