Back In Rolandseck

Hi Everyone,
Well Labor Day is over in the U.S.. The holiday doesn't mean anything outside of America so it was a regular work day here but it does mark the "end of summer" in any northern hemisphere country.

[Editor's Note: Guess this posting is going to be more personal than work and ministry stuff.]

Got back home last Wednesday. The train ride was uneventful which is always nice. In fact, I took the very last seat at the end of the train and had the whole little area to myself to think and contemplate about the trip. The balance of my time in Holland was great.

First Flight
My close friend Bernard not only celebrated his birthday while I was there but his very first flying lesson.

Photo Rt: Bernard is, not surprisingly, grinning from ear to ear as he readies for the start of his big adventure.

This was a momentous occasion for both of us. He had his first lesson and I celebrated my umpteenth anniversary of my first solo flight in a small plane when I was 15 years old. Phoenix International Airport aka Sky Harbor, has never been the same since.

Photo Rt: Larry posing for a newpaper article about high school kids that are pilots. Unfortunately I'm not next the plane that I soloed in.

Like every other pilot, you never forget the day your instructor opens the door of the plane and steps out. He then tells you to do what you've been trained to do. Procedures, the essence of safe flying, kicks in and you do it by the numbers.

You go back to the "run up" area, do an engine check, contact the tower, wait for your clearance to take off, catch a big breath of air and push the throttle forward, rotate and all by yourself with the help of the laws of physics you are off the ground by yourself. Unbelievable.

You go around the traffic pattern, per your instructor's instructions, usually a couple of times making "touch & goes" then bring it back and tie it down. The adrenalin really hits you when you are taxing back and realize you really did it.

I soloed in a little Cessna 150, registered as N1135Y. Strangely after all these years, that little 150 is still flying in the Phoenix area. If that little plane could talk you wonder what tales it could "post" to its "blog". Stranger yet is that you remember the call sign. It's sort of like your first kiss.

Closer to God
Flying for me has always been a way to relate to my Heavenly Father. How is that? I don't really know except from the first time I was in small plane and "broke the surely bonds of earth" I felt close to God. As I looked down on humanity, it was like how it looked to Him.

That some how He actually knew how exciting it was see things from His perspective. It was looking down seeing kids playing ball, people mowing lawns, people stuck in traffic and them being given an "opportunity" to pray for their fellow commuters. This all happened at a time when I really didn't know Him, certainly not like I know Him now. Amazing huh....

Flying "back in the day" was much different than now. But actually, it isn't. Yes, much has changed in technology, no doubt, just look around us. But taking the "high road" and looking down and seeing more of God's creation at altitude is still breath taking. Granted the limited view of a Boeing 737 at 35,000 feet is not the same 360 degree panorama a Beechcraft or Cessna provides at 5,000 feet of the world outside.

The only thing that brings you closer to the elements in a power plane is a flying a sail plane. Now that is FLYING! I regret never getting my endorsement when it was so close at hand but at least soloing was just a "plane" kick in the butt. Some time I'll tell you the story about flying in formation with a hawk over the Sierra Estrella Mountains south of Phoenix. It was amazing and also a part of God's creation.

The Next Generation
Younger son William, now serving as part of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flight crew is creating his own aviation memories as he serves all of us. It will be exciting to hear about them as they occur. Helicopters, the one thing I am envious about him being able to do. They have got to be a real kick in the butt to fly. Maybe God will give me a chance to do that some time in the future. It's not impossible for those who believe. I do.

Flying vs Motorcycles, Not Really "Versus"
The only thing that comes close to flying is riding motorcycles. Yes, I've done that too. Are you surprised? Bikers relate to their environment like pilots. Plus the sense of speed, of windy turns with "G" forces, etc.

My cousin Blake and his wife are on an annual motorcycle adventure called "The Three Flags Rally". For the last seven years, Blake has ridden from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Well you say, a lot of people can and do do that. Well yes.... but try doing it over Labor Day weekend. Yes, border to border in three days. NOT a lot of people do that...

Why? It's hard to explain actually. But if you'd like to read Blake and Giovanna's blog while they are en route, check it out on my link to the right under "Friends Blogs" You'll enjoy it. Giovanna does a terrific job at documenting the events. Yes, I'll admit it. I am also envious of him.

God bless you,
Lawrence