Mr. SP Flies in a Small Plane

Last Saturday Mr. SP got to fly in a a small airplane through a program build into our middle school’s sixth grade science curriculum.  You may recall that a couple of years ago YaYa also got to do this, and it sparked a small obsession with aviation for her.  Mr. SP was along the day that YaYa got to go up in a plane, and decided right then that this would be a good deal, since the only time he’s been in a plane was as a nine month infant, and he has absolutely no recollection of that experience. So, when it came time for the aviation unit, he did all the extra projects and extra credit, and boosted himself into the top 10 or 15% of students who earned a ride in an airplane.  Yahoo!

The airplane ride was scheduled for a Saturday right after school finished last summer, but they were not able to fly because of weather.  It was rescheduled, but the weather didn’t cooperate.  It was scheduled again for a date when Mr. SP would be in North Dakota in the summer, and we were really sad that he would have to miss flying.  But THAT day the weather didn’t work out either!  The plane ride was rescheduled for a Saturday at the end of August, and they had an awards ceremony and got to visit the Lake Superior College Aviation building, where they learned about airplane mechanics and got to sit in a Cirrus jet, and fly airplane simulators (it was super awesome, and the faculty was amazing about engaging the kids).  But they couldn’t actually fly that day either because it was pouring rain.  A true deluge.

So finally last Saturday was a sunny, wonderful day with light and friendly breezes, and up they went!  Mr. SP was excited to sit in the front seat.  His pilot was great, and he loved seeing our city from the air.  Somehow he had no idea that the sandy beach was such a tiny narrow, super long peninsula separating Lake Superior and the harbor until he got in the air!  And he had no idea all that water was behind the sandy beach, even though he’d sort of seen it from Enger Tower and from the highway.  It all looks so much more amazing from an airplane.

We stopped for donuts to celebrate on the way home, even though he’d already eaten pancakes that morning, because food makes this rapidly growing guy very, very happy.