by Ward, Steve
It took her a few seconds to get the hang of the rudder, but the girl finally found the centerline, accelerating. When the airspeed hit 60 she eased back on the yoke, and the Cessna leapt into the air.
“Jesus!” she screamed. “Can’t believe it; I’m flying!”
Christina helped her find the attitude necessary for a respectable climb, and they were off to the practice area over Lake Lanier. She felt like Furgeson was in that cockpit beside her, and she could hear his soft but reassuring voice.
You got it, girl, you got it.
My God, Christina thought. So hard to believe; I’m thirty-two years old, and my life has come full circle. What a ride it’s been, what a ride! For the first time in her life, she had a true feeling of contentment and realized something very important: she had found her smile. As a matter of fact she was grinning ear to ear watching the girl struggle with the controls. After years of therapy, she was at peace, and her world seemed to make sense. She loved her job, she loved her husband and most of all she loved teaching young people how to fly.
Another generation of pilots, she thought. Just what this country needs.
The End
