Driving to the airport looking forward to a fun day....
Checking in at the airport office, looking at the weather maps, filing a flight plan, my father chatting with the airport manager and other pilots....
Walking to the airplane, being careful not to walk near any other propellers!....
My father doing the pre-flight inspection of the plane, checking the fuel tanks for water, checking that the controls work, untying the ropes....
Starting the engine....
Talking to ground-control radio and taxiing to the runway....
Take off, which was always a thrill, watching the ground drop away....
Sightseeing, beautiful clouds, looking down at our house and friends' houses...
Following the coastline to Martha's Vineyard....
Registering an "over-water guard" with air-traffic control for extra safety, when we went over the ocean....
My father's careful approach to everything related to safety...
Listening to the tower radio as they talked to us and other airplanes....
Helping my father scan the sky for other airplanes, and then telling him where they were ("12:00 high")....
Pulling a "parabolic arc" maneuver (with Uncle Jim at the wheel) causing us to become weightless for a few seconds, tossing things in the air and watching them float.
Flying near 10,000' altitude, blowing on my hands and feeling little air hit them.
Flying the plane by myself and my father's praise for doing it well...
A snack at the airport lunch counter before driving home....
How special I felt that my father taught me about flying
and spent this time with me.