Ever fly in a SMALL plane?

[MaryAnnDVC]

I did once, when I was MUCH younger, and braver, and it never occurred to me that I could actually EVER die. It was a 4 seater, and we (my sister and I) flew for about 10 minutes at a local small airport.

DH wants to fly over/(in?) the Grand Canyon next summer, and I think he's crazy! Sounds like a great experience, except for the throwing up/fainting/dying aspects of it. I nixed the idea, and he says he's totally fine with it...there are other things we'll do instead. I feel like a poop tho. But I don't even do thrill rides. (Embarrassing confession...Astro Orbitor kind of gives me the shakes because of the height. ) I don't even want my DD (17) to know it was an option...she'd LOVE to do it. (And when she's older and can do it on her own without us, then she can...my pat answer to lots of situations that come up. )

Any other cowards out there?

 

[Michie]

Biggest drawback~no restroom.

My sister, her current beau has a small plane; have ridden in it several times, not real crazy about it.

 

[Towncrier]

I actually piloted a small plane from NE Ohio to Orlando and back once. My boss owned the Cessna 182 and, after he got the plane in the air, let me fly the plane up until the point that we needed to land. All those hours with Microsoft Flight Simulator paid off. I had a great time, although I can think of one other disadvantge of a small plane. They don't go very fast. It took 6 hours to fly down to Florida and 6 hours to fly back. And that thunderstorm that we hit in Florida was a bit more dicey than it would have been in a 767.

Too bad that boss and I didn't see eye to eye. I left that job years ago and haven't been in a small plane since.

 

[dumboiu]

Actually, I used to fly a small Cessna (172) when I was taking lessons. I also flew with a friend in a Piper a lot. It was fun. Not sure it would be as fun now........but who knows! I have a friend trying to get me to fly again. It takes way too much $$$$$.

 

[diznygirl]

DH flew in one - he's afraid of heights and complained about being near the window. I asked him why he didn't move to an aisle seat. He said that WAS the aisle seat!!

I think if he had a choice, he wouldn't do it again!

 

[LoraJ]

I did the Grand Canyon plane tour. It was awesome!!!!! I was a little scared on the way over, but felt more at ease on the way back. The flight was just over an hour. Great scenery.

I took a dramamine and felt fine.

Give it another thought. But use a company that offers air conditioned planes. That could make all the difference. No one got sick on my plane. All the stories of sickness I heard of were from the "Climate controlled" plane.

I used Scenic Air:
http://www.scenic.com/

And I did the deluxe tour.

My little buddy

from the plane

 

[mepperson]

I've flown in small planes over a thousand times - literally. Most of my trips were one way only - UP! The first few times I almost threw up - every little bump made me queasy (but then again I've used the barf bags on jets ). It got much better when I looked out the window. Don't like to land in them - THAT makes me sick!

Mary

 

[Imzadi]

I took a helicopter tour over the Canyon. Copters don't glide they just plummet when there is a problem. But I loved it. Well worth the experience.

As for a small plane, I don't think you'd get me into one! I flew in a medium-small plane with Independance Airlines. The flight attendant said there were too many people sitting up front & moved 2 men to the back of the plane. That freaked me out!

 

[holbear]

Many times. My father is a pilot and always had a plane (4 seater, 6 for his largest at one time) when I was growing up. He taught me how to fly before I knew how to drive! However, I don't enjoy it. It is LOUD (you really can't hold a conversation) and not particularly comfortable. You should try it at least once, though, if you want the experience.

 

[froglady]

When we lived in Toronto, a friend owned a true amphibious seaplane. That is, there weren't pontoons on the the wings; the plane itself floated. The engines were above the fusilage, which was the only clue that this wasn't your "normal" plane.

He used to land on the lake without warning his first time passengers!

I've flown in small planes as small as two seaters, up to 15 seaters. I don't consider anything larger than that to be "small." It is funny to fly one commercially, and have them weigh you at check-in.

 

[mtblujeans]

I had never flown in a plane until I was an adult and I think that is why I have always been afraid of flying. And I am talking terrified, dig my nails into anything available fear! I had only flew a few times when I married DH and we were going to fly back to Iowa from Montana. I had expressed to DH how afraid I was to fly and that I had only flown in the past after having at least one drink. He was very understanding about it.

However, to get to where we needed to go, we had to fly (what they call in Montana) 'puddle jumpers' to a larger airport in Montana and then more 'puddle jumpers' from Chicago to the small airport in Iowa. The planes are so small they sit people on one side or another by their weight in order to balance out the plane (including the luggage weight)....who the hell flies like this??

Anyway, I had been sweating the whole flight and then we left Chicago. That plane was seriously smaller than anything I had ever seen before! There was nothing but a curtain between the pilots and the passengers. We boarded, seat belted in, we can see the pilots and one of them is reading what appears to be instructions from a book sitting on the floor between the two pilots' seats!! OMG!! DH and I look at each other...I know he was thinking the same thing I am. Apparently one engine was not starting with the push of a button so they were looking at the 'instruction manual' to find out what to do, or that is what is seemed.

The next thing we see is someone coming out from the hangar and pulling on the propeller of the left engine to try to make it start! OMG OMG!! By that time, I was squeezing DH's arm to hard I think I was hurting him. He gently removed my griping hand from his poor arm and puts my hand in his. I almost fainted as we headed down the runway to take off. My DH is a religious man and I am not. I think he probably felt he was ready to meet his Maker, I was not!

When we landed in that little tin can, we bounced....and not just once! We bounced over and over and I thought I was going to throw up. DH did not say a thing through this whole time until we got off that plane and then he said he didn't think we were going to survive either the take off or the landing!! That is the worst I have ever felt about flying **sigh** and DH still laughs about that trip cause we then had to do it again when we left that smaller airport and headed back to Chicago for the flight home!

I've been in a two-seater as I dated a pilot before I met DH....and it was NEVER as bad as that!!

 

[KathyTX]

I love the little planes!

We've flown in seaplanes in the Caribbean, helicopters over the glaciers in Alaska, hot air balloons over the vineyards in Napa Valley.

My personal favorite thrill ride is in open cockpit biplanes (think WWI Red Baron!) The pilot sits behind you, nothing between you and the open air except your goggles. DH won't try it. Heck, he won't try the Tower of Terror.

If you're ever in Key West, you can contact Fred Cabanas and try to book a ride in his 1941 Waco biplane. The Keys look AMAZING from the air.

 

[mtblujeans]

I love the little planes!

We've flown in seaplanes in the Caribbean, helicopters over the glaciers in Alaska, hot air balloons over the vineyards in Napa Valley.

My personal favorite thrill ride is in open cockpit biplanes (think WWI Red Baron!) The pilot sits behind you, nothing between you and the open air except your goggles. DH won't try it. Heck, he won't try the Tower of Terror. .....

Nope, I've never tried the TOT, either! Actually, I am breaking out into a sweat just looking at that picture!! Darn thrill seekers anyway!!

 

[S. C.]

If you're ever in Key West, you can contact Fred Cabanas and try to book a ride in his 1941 Waco biplane. The Keys look AMAZING from the air.

Kathy do you have any pictures from your plane ride over the keys? Would love to see them.

 

[Blondie]

I'd do it in a heartbeat!

While in Gettysburg for a wedding many years ago (before kids) we took a helicopter tour over Gettysburg, it was cool, but very LOUD!

 

[Blondie]

Oh...and hey Mare! We should book our dates out west at the same time! Now that would be cool!

Grand Canyon DIS meet summer 2006!

 

[KathyTX]

Kathy do you have any pictures from your plane ride over the keys? Would love to see them.

These are all from right over Key West:

I'm guessing this is some pretty pricey real estate:

You can get close enough to actually spot sharks and stingrays in the water:

My pilot.

 

[Tantor]

Took Flying lessons eons ago and was very near getting my Pilot's license(Have 7 solo hourstoo!!). It's too much money now to finish. Plus you have to keep up your hours after you get your license. Their are too many other priorities now.
I also flew a Cessna 172. Loved the feeling of being in a small plane.

 

[anewvance]

My dh old boss (he was actually a national radio talk host Ken Hamblin) used to take us out in his 6 seater. It was fun! We'd go to a little town down the way in Colorado and eat lunch and then fly back. We never got to fly over the mountains because I was pregnant and he didn't want me up in that high of altitude.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Any other cowards out there?

If ya really wanna know... PM me... kinda ( extremely ) scary.

No lie, I swam with crocodiles in a river in Belize on my honeymoon ( no big deal... the locals do it all the time there, too ) and took the small plane ride in Belize too.

The plane ride was MUCH scarier!