Pilot Man in Cessna 152
“Ardmore Traffic. Juliet Foxtrot Yankee rolling zero-three vacating to the Gulf.” The engine leaps into action and we head off down the runway. Wheels off the ground we inch skyward.
My passenger door flies open. Eeeh! Right. Deep breath. Hair flapping in the wind, I check my safety belt. I’m strappped in tight. OK, I’m not going to fall out of the plane. I grab the door noticing the strips of duct tape covering cracks in the plastic. The airflow makes moving the door unwieldy and I can’t get a good grip. The ground receeds below us. I get a better grip on the door handle and slam it hard. The wind stops.
Hauraki Gulf from Cessna 152
Flying in a Cessna 152 is an intimate experience. My hips are wedged against the Man aka pilot and the offending door. The door looked closed before we took off. Obviously it wasn’t as closed as I would have preferred, but no one to blame but me, my hips and I. Crisis averted, I gaze on the countryside below me.
We head overland to the Hauraki (HOW-rocky) Gulf and then south to the Firth of Thames. Last time we were in the area of the Firth, but on the ground, birdwatchers reported four orcas in the channel, probably hunting stingrays. We’d just missed them. The flat water makes for good spotting conditions, but our orca luck fails us yet again.
Hands on the Controls of a Cessna 152
Flying back up the Firth and past Ponui Island, we head back to Ardmore Aerodrome keeping below 1,500 feet to avoid controlled air space. I’m feeling too warm My body heat combined with the breathability of the stylish yellow life jacket I’m wearing are a one-two punch. But given my penchant for ending up in exciting situations, I’m not inclined to skimp on safety when flying in an ancient single engine airplane over large bodies of water. The life jacket stays. I swelter.
I’m thrilled to get that life jacket off ten minutes later when we land safely despite a nasty crosswind.
Exertion Factor: 1/10, unless you are struggling with an open door in flight.
Physical Blocks: Climbing into the plane.
Mental Blocks: Fear of heights, small planes or single engine planes.
Time of Year: Year round in good weather.
Gear: None required.
Fantastic Factor: 6/10. A scenic flight over a more picturesque area would naturally rate higher. I would really like to go on a scenic flight over the glaciers and fjords in the South Island.
Cessna 152 ZK-JFY
Cost: $100-200 for a half hour flight. I have access to the Man and don’t pay a pilot to fly me, but you can get scenic flights at any aerodrome, flying school or scenic flight business.
Maximum Weight: Depends on the plane and the amount of fuel you have on board. I wouldn’t want to be in a 152 with hips broader than mine, but other single engine planes are more spacious and have higher maximum payloads.
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