Flying

My husband Nik carefully waited until Vanessa and Rachel had entered University in Canada before broaching the subject of buying an airplane. He was sensitive to the fact that they had lost their father when the Cherokee Mac was piloting crashed in 1994, and I admired his thoughtful restraint! However, the girls had grown up and left Bequia to further their educations, and Nik figured the time was right to buy another plane. His tug and barge business was growing fast, and being able to fly parts and crew to destinations throughout the Caribbean would be a huge asset. Nik also missed flying, he missed it a LOT, and I therefore swallowed my own fears and encouraged him to buy the Cessna he had his heart set on.

The plane, a Cessna Reims 182, was owned by a dentist Nik had met in Martinique. The aircraft had been manufactured in France and, unlike the Cessnas made in the United States, it was corrosion-proofed and therefore stronger than the American version. Due to its French origins the Cessna’s unique call sign was F-GAQE, but this would sadly have to be changed to a Canadian registration (C-GJNU) due to changes in aviation regulations in the United States after 9-11.

Nik, not having flown for several years, went to Florida for a check ride in order to activate his pilot’s license, after which he arranged for delivery of the Cessna from Martinique. It was quite obvious that Nik was excited by the prospect of flying again, and I mustered as much enthusiasm about this as possible. I knew very little about airplanes and even less about general aviation, and had a lot to learn if my future was going to include flying “right seat” with my husband!

Nik was (and still is) a very patient man, and taught me how to walk around the plane before each flight to ensure that the prop, flaps and tail were OK. He taught me how to check for water in the fuel, and how to operate the radio as well as the GPS. As a safety precaution Nik also had me draw up and laminate a check list to be read aloud before each take-off, which in the case of our small one-engine plane wasn’t very complicated but still considered necessary.

Medical checks for pilots and student pilots are compulsory, so Nik and I flew to Grenada to see the aviation doctor. I filled out a form in the office, had a medical examination, and departed that same day a student pilot. This enabled me to fly as crew, which made arrivals and departures in other countries much easier.

Was I nervous? Of COURSE I was nervous, and it took quite some time before I was able to relax in the plane. Landings were the hardest part for me; take-offs were one thing, I held my breath until we had reached a safe altitude, but approaching a run-way for some reason frightened me. Nik’s advice to concentrate on the end of the runway during the landing process helped, but, to be honest, only experience (and lots of it!) would change this fear.

That Cessna Reims and its amazing pilot took me places most people can only dream about. I became a pretty decent co-pilot, but to the rather obvious consternation of the aviation doctor in Grenada I was still just a student pilot whenever it was time for another medical check! He must have thought I was a poor student…