A flight to remember

Logtime 2005 - 081 Hello dear 365day-readers, yesterday, a brigth and sunny clear day at the beginning of spring (2005-79) I had an expirience I have to tell. All started with the funny idea to try gliding (the German Segelfliegen). I checked the internet and found a good airfield located in Hamburg. So I called and I was invited to come and look around myself. This is what I did and that happened: I was going with my girlfriend on that beautifull day to Boberg (the airfield), which is locatetd at the east border of Hamburg. We walked slowly from the busstation and I saw some gliders in the air and told Saskia that I was quite exited. I always wanted to be trained as a pilot. When we reached the area a guy asked me if I may need some help. So I replied that he surely can do help me so I told him about my plan about learning to fly a glider. He told me some stuff and asked me to come to the next barn to ask someone else with more specific knowledge. After we talked a minute or two the guy suggested Wacki (the guy who offered me his help) to take me for a guest flight in a motorglider! My mouth opend, closed and opend again and before I could say anything I found myself sitting next to the Pilotseat (thats the right seat) in a small motorglider. After the belts have been fixed I was instructed about the panels and the instruments. Now time to start the motor. Open window. Shout: “Airplane clear!“, holding the steering stick close to the body so the plane can not go with the nose down and push the motor button. A very noisy sound appears! The prop turns wildly. Thrust up a bit, aksing the tower for clear over the airfield to the starting point. Got the OK. So slowly to the starting position. Final tower communication clear to start? Clear to start! Full thrust. Pressed into the seat we shortely liftet up into the sky over Hamburg. (All Wackis work, who turned from a helping hand to my personal pilot) Our flight corridor was at an altitude of 1900 ft to 2100 ft (600 - 800 meters) and we were supposed to fligh straight west alongside the Elbe. So we followed the Elbe. All the ships small like playtoys, the bigh habour directly underneath. To the right the main airport and the townhall. Along over Neustadt, Blankenese up to Wedel (all cityparts of Hamburg from east to west). During that time Wacki told me to take control of the plane myself so I put my feet firmly to the steerings and my hands easily to the stick. So if you think now it is like in a game I got to tell you that it is not so, because your ass is in your own hands 2000 ft above groundlevel. So I got to hold the plane at approx 150 km/h in almost exact 2000 ft. You can check your acceleration tool so you see if you go up or down. Little left, little rigth, little up, little down. Obviously quite easy but I must looked like a drunken bird from the ground. Anyway I was told to do a good job so I relaxed more and more with practise time passing by. To ease the situation I was told to leave hands clear of steering and so the pilot did, too. Now after getting comfortable with flying straight with some left, right up, and down manouvers we got a tower call that a plane is coming straight for us! Repeat?! Wacki told me to check the sky infront of us for the other plane and so he did. So now three things at the same time. Looking for the other plane, steering my own plane and enjoyng the nice town underneath. Luckily I discovered the other plane approx. 3 miles to the south and 200 ft higher! Of course there was no real danger but as an untrained person you just look at things different. All this happened in about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes of flying straight west we reached our checkpoint and turned around at a marked position after Wedel. Wacki got back into control and told me why you must use your footsteerings for making a nice turn. Simply told to hold the plane in the sky! (For all pilots: I know the physics behind it but I am not going into detail here) The return flight, now straight east, was more relaxed and I continued practising my pilot skills. Half way back we had the Alster, a small lake in the mid of the town, to the north (now on the left handed side ore better said at time 0900) of our plane. Checking the sky and asking the tower to make a short cut over „downtown“ Hamburg we got an OK and turned left to do some „sightseeing“. There again, town hall, Alster, University, great. After a (horizontal) 360 degree turn over the Alster we went back onto our old course, back to the airfield. The flight lasted now for 30 minutes and I was quite pleased so far. Now close to the airfield we started talking about gliding and he told me the difference and asked soon later the tower for another corridor. Got the clear for 3000 ft (1000 m). ROOOAAAAHHHH! Up into the sky. Better than any rollercoaster. So when we reached the altitude of 3000 ft Wacki did something I wish no „normal“ Pilot will ever do this with a normal pasangerplane. He turned off the engine! I tell you this is the point of no return. „Relax“ my mind told me and so did Wacki. Sure we are sitting in a glider. So now the real trip started. Down the nose to gain speed, check for other gliders and do rapid curves/turns to „get in touch“ with gliding or as I prefer with your creator. If you don’t like rollercoasters you are definitely in the wrong place but I love it so I felt great. Rapid left, down, up again into some termic and then up again into a sharp bend to the right. Mind and body at a state of almost getting unconsience. No joke! the g-forces in a plane doing such manouvers are quite strong and can knock you stright out. Wacki told me that he could make me fade away if he wanted to and I returned he almost did and we both grinned. After we made turns to almost every direction we tuned the engine back on and made a professional approach to the airfield and had a very nice touch down. Thanks to Wacki for that great and very professional trip. I had the time of my life and I decided to do the licence myself and make others fade away soon. May all good come from above! See ya :>>