With school being so busy, I still hadn’t gone flying with my mom… until now! She had flown in the plane with me before, but when I was with an instructor. So this was truly the first time we had ever really flown together.

It’s actually really fun flying with mom because she isn’t a pilot. It’s one of the few times as a teenager that my mom hasn’t had any advice for me! She told me afterwards that it was a completely strange feeling for her, putting her life into my hands. Sure, in a car I’m in control too, but she can always grab the wheel. It would probably be a little bit difficult to learn how to fly in an instant!

So since I received my PPL, I hadn’t yet flown with a parent solo. I was in all honesty pretty nervous, having the life of someone you love in your hands is a tremendous responsibility.

Here is a short clip of our takeoff that my mom recorded on her iPhone:

 

As is typical with summer weather, it was pretty bumpy. The plan was to fly around for a little over an hour, around Richmond, Jamestown, to the James River, and back. After flying over our house and school, I decided to cut the flight short and head back. It was beginning to be uncomfortably bumpy… No use in wasting time and money on an unpleasant experience! It was still a fun flight though, here are some pictures:

Our route of flight is shown below via CloudAhoy (I recorded it on my iPad, using my external XGPS160):

After such a bumpy flight, I was a little concerned that it would be a windy, rough landing. On final approach it was gusty, but nothing too bad. And then… We greased the landing, making an awesome ending to a turbulent flight! My mom said “I’ve never felt such a smooth landing, not even on commercial planes.” … Thanks, Mom!

Hopefully we will go flying again soon, just for a little longer next time!

Thanks for reading,
-Swayne Martin

About The Author

Swayne Martin
Founder

If you want to become a pilot, I want to make your journey just a little easier. I'm a First Officer for Envoy Air, one of the largest regional airlines in the world, and have partnered with industry leaders like the U.S. Air Force to teach about various aviation careers. For a full bio, click the "About" tab above. Use the "Contact" tab to shoot me a message.

10 Responses

  3. Karlene Petitt

    That’s just wonderful!!! And so exciting. I like the part for the first time Mom didn’t have advice. I felt the same way when I took my Mom flying. But tell your Mom she really looks like she could be your sister. So glad you had a wonderful day!

    Reply
  4. Will Jenkins

    Awesome pictures! I love the Google earth tracking you do. One of my favorite flights I’ve done was taking my dad up after earning my private. I let him fly a bit and it was fun. You are lucky you get to fly Cessnas! Out here it’s all Diamond aircraft and they are a lot smaller.

    Will Jenkins | http://www.aircocharters.com/charters.php

    Reply
  5. Briggs Christie

    The first thing that went through my head when I saw the title.

    “Do you call that a landing? Young, man you’re grounded. Go to your room and think about what you’ve done.”

    😉

    Reply

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