Warren and the Plane

It was his first solo flight, and the plane was going down. Of course, the plane was going down. Why wouldn’t it be? It was just Warren’s luck. His grandpa had just finished fixing the Cessna 172 for him, just in time for this flight. So why wouldn’t he be about to break it? Now Warren was trying to wrack his brain for what his grandpa had taught him, for what could be causing the engine to stop on a freezing cold day, ten thousand feet above the ground. If he didn’t make it through this flight successfully, he wasn’t sure if he’d have the courage to follow his dream of becoming a pilot anymore. He knew he could switch his frequency to 121.5 and get help, but he wanted to do this on his own. No- he needed to.

Warren had wanted to be a pilot since he was seven years old. He’d been watching the air races from the front porch of his grandparents’ house as he had every year since he could remember. But this was the first year he really understood that there were people in those planes, pilots- making all those maneuvers through the air and existing thousands of feet above the ground. He decided then that he would be one of them someday.

He remembered running to his grandpa excitedly, interrupting a conversation he was having with a friend or distant family member. “Grandpa! Grandpa!” Warren exclaimed “When I grow up, I’m going to be a pilot!” A wide smile spread across grandpa’s face, the same smile he wore every time he was going to make a joke, but Warren was still learning to recognize it then. The smile quickly slipped into seriousness as grandpa looked down at him and said “I’m sorry Warren, but you can only choose one.” “Only choose one?” Warren asked, clearly confused by this “What do you mean grandpa?” His grandpa smiled again and said words Warren would never forget “You can either grow up, or you can be a pilot, you can’t do both.” Then him and his friend had laughed. Warren was still confused, because there was his grandpa, an adult who was also a pilot… But he assumed he would understand one day, and grandpa was laughing, so he laughed too.

After that, Warren and his grandfather spent a lot of time together. Grandpa taught him a million things and told him a hundred stories. They looked at pictures, built model planes, and eventually worked on real ones together. His grandpa taught him to fly, first they used simulation games, but once he was big enough, he started taking him up in actual planes. They went over all the controls and talked about the things that could go wrong. They flew in blue skies and gray ones, watching the world below them turn into almost blurs. And eventually, Warren got to where he was now, in a plane with an engine that had stopped, going down in a way that would not involve the greatest landing.

What do I do? What do I do? Warren thought again. His head was so full of knowledge, but when he needed it most it was as though it had become a blank page. Finally, after what felt like a million years, two words popped into his mind: Carburetor Icing. That’s it! Warren knew what to do! It was so cold that ice was blocking the air intake. He quickly pulled the carburetor heat on and lowered the nose. He would have to go down until he could get the plane warm enough that the ice would melt. It was a little terrifying for a fifteen-year-old. Well, it was more than a little terrifying, but he slowed his breathing and listened for the engine to start up again.

As the plane went lower and lower, Warren started to hold his breath. He’d been doing so good calming himself before, but now he was anxious as he watched the propeller continue to spin around and around… Then, just as he began to feel lightheaded, the engine roared back to life. He let out a sigh of relief and punched up into the air, proud of himself for being able to apply the skills he had learned. Time to head back now, he smiled to himself.

Once he landed, he went right upstairs to get his grandpa. He told him all about his first solo flight and how he almost messed it up. His grandpa was smiling the whole time, and though there was some reprimanding for not just contacting the emergency frequency right away, Warren knew his grandpa was proud of him. He felt invigorated and giddy. Together, Warren and his grandfather took care of the post-flight operations and then they went to “In-n-Out Burger” to celebrate with burgers and milkshakes. It was the best day!