I Flew A Plane... For Real

📆 13 Aug 2026 19:40 UTC +01:00
📕 318 words ⏳ 2 min.
🏷️#Aviation#Blaugust

I’m a huge aviation nerd, I have visited many a museum and active airports/fields, and have built up over 900 hours of flight time in the flight simulator (FlightGear).

My big 21st birthday was two months ago, and my parents bought me a trial flying lesson at my local airport. I have never flown in a plane before, commercial or otherwise. This Martian has never left the Earth.

Leading up to the flight, I was not nervous, not one bit at all. Despite having a very small fear of heights. It wasn’t until the instructor put the engine to full power and we left the ground that I felt a little nervous and seeing the ground growing smaller beneath me was not at all disconcerting. We took off, circled round the airport and circled my house, which was very cool to pick out from the sky. Then we departed to the East. Once we reach the altitude of 2000ft and levelled off, the instructor handed controls over to me.

I was flying!

To begin with, I had a death grip on the control column of the small Cessna 152. With the UK being in yet another heatwave, the thermals were very active and caused a lot of buffeting around, which was a little bit freaky for me to begin with but about halfway through, I got used to the small ones and the big ones were still a shock.

I flew a plane, for real, not just a simulator and I am definitely wanting to go ahead and continue learning to fly and get my PPL(A) (Private Pilots License). Which only requires 9 exams and 40 hours of flight, including 10 hours of solo and a 150nm cross country flight with two landings different to departure airport. I think I could do that.

Anyway, this is just a short one, so have a good one and enjoy! BYEEE!!!