Flying With Mac

Not long after Mac got his private pilot’s license Vanessa and Rachel informed us of a parent/teacher day at the Convent School. This event would give us an opportunity to meet with Vanessa and Rachel’s teachers and discuss their progress, an opportunity neither of us wanted to miss. I assumed we would be taking the 6:30 ferry to the mainland with the girls, but Mac the Pilot had a different travel plan in mind.

Our friend Nik owned a small Cherokee, a single-engine plane he had flown from California to Bequia.  Mac had been using the Cherokee to practice take-offs and landings (referred to by pilots as “touch and goes”), and asked Nik if he could borrow the ‘plane to fly us over to the mainland.  I had flown in the little plane before with Nik, flying with Mac in the pilot’s seat would be a completely new experience!

The day of the Parent/Teacher meeting dawned calm and clear, a beautiful day for flying. Mac and I, dressed in our “going-to-‘tung” clothes, drove to the airport and approached the Cherokee waiting for us on the tarmac. Mac was exuding pride and happiness, he had been looking forward to showing me his piloting skills and today was the day!  Before climbing into the ‘plane Mac did a “walk-around”, another aviation term meaning a visual check to make sure everything was as it should be. He demonstrated how to check for water in the fuel, check the oil and ensure that the flaps and rudder were not damaged in any way. Once he was satisfied that all was well, we boarded the plane and prepared ourselves for take-off.

When I had flown in the Cherokee with Nik it had been very windy, and the turbulence as we lifted off at Arnos Vale had tossed the plane rather violently.  It was blessedly calm the day I flew with Mac, and the little Cherokee lifted off the runway smoothly. Mac steered the plane over the harbour so that I could see our house from the air, then headed for the Bequia Channel.  The distance between J.F Mitchell and Arnos Vale is short, a mere 10 miles, so we didn’t have to climb to a high altitude, just a safe one!  Much to my delight I spotted a pod of porpoises below, and Mac descended a bit and circled so I could get a better look. I enjoyed every second of that flight, it bordered on the magical it was so beautiful. Mac, in his new-found element, was happy to be fulfilling his dream of flying and that was magical too.

Landing at Arnos Vale was as smooth as the take-off at J.F. Mitchell had been, there was no turbulence that day to rock the small aircraft, and soon we were disembarking in front of the terminal. I felt a little high, exhilarated by what had been a fabulous flight, and hugged Mac as we strolled across the tarmac. Flying was a wonderful way to cross the channel, it was fast and I didn’t have to battle with seasickness, what a treat!  The porpoises were a bonus.

Mac and I took a taxi to the Convent School and met with the teachers. It was nice to finally put faces to names, those of school friends as well as teachers, and our presence there meant a lot to Vanessa and Rachel, more than I realized at the time.  Being from the Grenadines made them different from the other students and so did their fair skin, and the fact that their daddy had brown skin and an afro made a huge difference in how they were perceived by their classmates.Their father was a very handsome man but more importantly he was a LOCAL man, meaning they were local too. I have never forgotten flying with Mac in that little Cherokee. Our flight back to Bequia was as silky smooth as the flight to the mainland had been, and Mac’s pride and happiness as he piloted the plane shone through like a beacon. It was a truly special day.