Today was an exciting day. It was a day I have been waiting for at least the last five years. I took my first flight as a pilot. For those of you who think I am a nerd, you're right, but I am going to give you the details anyways.

I flew a Cessna Skyhawk 172S, with a Garmin 1000 Full Glass Cockpit. I spent three hours at the Cobb County Airport - McCollum Field (RYY). I am doing my flight instruction with Premier Flight School and it is located just outside of Kennesaw, GA.

I was amazed how much my flight instructor (Chris) let me do on the very first flight. I had a minor problem while taxing (which you do with your feet) keeping the plane on the center line. Then we were cleared for takoff, and he turned to me and said, "alright, line her up on the runway and apply full throttle." I never thought I would get to do that on the first flight. He told me Vr was 65 knots (speed you initially pull up) and V2 was 80 knots (speed you are cleared to leave the ground). I taxied onto the runway 9, applied full throttle and we were off.

I climbed to 3500 feet and then trimmed off and kept an approximate heading of 90°. We headed straight for my church: Mount Pisgah. Once leveled, speed topped off at 105 kts (which had a ground speed of 120 kts, which translated to MPH is about 130). Once to Mount Pisgah, I immediately banked to the right to a heading of about 210° to fly over my apartment. Once there, we maintained a gradual turn to Altoona Lake.

Once to Altoona Lake, it was time to prepare for landing. I headed for the airport at with a heading of 135°. Once within about 5 miles from the airport, I banked right to a heading of 180°. It was at this point that I figured he would take controls, but he didn't. As I approached the flight line of runway 9 at RYY, I banked to left for a heading of 90°, lined up with the runway, extended flaps first to 10° and then once below 85 kts extended them completely. I slowed to about 70 kts and began descent. He let me fly to about 300 feet above the ground (which is approximately 1 mile from touchdown and approximatively 1300' feet above sea level) and then he took controls. He landed the plane and I taxied back to the hanger.

Some of my initial thoughts. Taxing is harder then you would think, but I sort of expected that. Flying was easier than I thought. It felt so natural. My flight instructor said I did a great job maintaining altitude (which is usually a steep learning curve for most) and it was apparent I had a great start.

It was weird being "in control" for the first time on a flight. When I first flew on a private plane for work, I remember thinking how the "turbulence" felt different than on a big plane. The plane I flew today felt like the other private aircraft I flew in before, but being the pilot made it feel strikingly more in control.

Well I have written enough I guess. It was fun. I am excited. And I am hoping to have my license completed by August. So everybody look to the skies, it might be me ;-)

I am in Chicago O'Hare airport right now. About five minutes ago I passed the gate I departed out of when I left for school at APU. Right now I am passing a gate I arrived at from LA, 8 days after September 11th, 2001. I am heading for the gate I departed to Israel for my study abroad (which is oddly being used as a gate to Atlanta). All this takes me back to my first international trip: France, I was in 8th grade and I was 14 years old.

Thinking about this makes me crack up a little inside. Since that trip I have been in 17 other countries and flown close to 200,000 miles. What a difference 200,000 miles & 17 countries make.

My first trip to France was with about 40 other middle school students. If memory serves me correct, we agreed to the trip in October and left in June. I remember being in at least 4 meetings before we left. I can remember taking probably a good week to pack and "gather the essentials." I remember going to the bank in downtown Fort Wayne with my Dad and exchanging US money into French money. I even remember receiving my first Passport.

This trip was pretty much the opposite. I traveled by myself (although I met up with 30 APU students). I agreed to the trip in late February and departed the first of April. I had one 15 minute phone meeting. Packing took me all of 15 minutes to complete. As far as money, well, I took $40 bucks in US cash, a credit card and an ATM card and I figured I would be ok (which I was). My now worn passport was sitting cosily in my desk drawer. I knew I was going to need to stay in a hotel as well one night and I didn't even have that booked until I hoped off my plane in Tokyo on the way back and walked up to the information desk and said, "I need to book a hotel room for tonight." Quite the contrast.

I think in part this is because I have more money now, and strangely, when traveling, money is like freedom. Take for instance the hotel. I just thought to myself, worse comes to worse, I'll just book a room at the Hyatt or Hilton or wherever has an vacancy for whatever price. But I think there is more to it than just money, and that brings me back to O'Hare.

My first time in O'Hare alone was when I was 15 and I was flying to visit my grandparents in Denver. I didn't even have an escort. If I wanted to, I could figure out how many times since then I have flown through O'Hare (but I am too lazy). But all that travel builds confidence and it makes me realize a.) how small this world really is, and b.) everywhere is pretty much the same in operation but vastly different in experience.

What I mean by point b. is that a train in Japan is like a train in Europe, which is like a train in America. A bus ride in Japan is like a bus ride in America. The airport terminal in Japan is exactly like Australia, which is pretty much the same in America. Making a hotel reservation is the same everywhere, some just cost more. There's really nothing to fear when traveling abroad other than the experience you might miss by not doing so. So if you got the time and money: get traveling!

(P.S. The first photo is a group of my (at the time) friends after we checked through security at O'Hare on our way to France. The second photo is of me rubbing the belly of a GIANT Buddha statue near Kamasura.)