Some days my job has perks. Last week was one such day. I was going to a media preview of the Great Georgia Air Show, which took place over the weekend south of Atlanta in Peachtree City. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the day, but I figured if nothing else, I would get a free lunch and opportunities for some photos for This Is My South. But what I got was even better.
First we were whisked down from midtown to the small airport in a Lexus, one of the event sponsors, where many private planes fly into the city. After listening to the sponsors talk about their role in the event, which has been a local favorite for years, they did a drawing for a few prizes for the media. One was a week rental of a Lexus car and the other was the chance to fly in one of the planes. Today.
When I heard my name, I couldn’t believe it. Everyone looked at me and saw the panicked look on my face. It wasn’t that I was scared of flying, as I’ve certainly flown in small planes like the one to Vieques, but it was unexpected. Had I known I was going to be crawling into the tiny plane, I would have worn something other than the skirt I had on.
But it was no time to chicken out. The guys from Redline, a pair of air show professionals, helped me buckle in and put on my headset before we took off. The hazy day meant we couldn’t see the Atlanta skyline, but instead saw the houses, lakes and, of course, golf courses that Peachtree City is known for. My pilot didn’t do any flips (thankfully), but turned to let me feel the G forces.
While it wasn’t what I had expected out of the day, flying over Peachtree City left me feeling euphoric, giddy and slightly off balance from my brief flight.
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