One of the terrifying things about flying in a plane is knowing you have absolutely no control over what happens during the entire ride, so even though I was technically in more danger when I was piloting that plane myself versus having a professional do so, the fear disappeared in a way I hadn’t expected. While most of the participants simply got quick rides around the nearby airspace in a Cessna, the pilot let me take off, fly, and then land the plane all on my own on our second trip up into the air.Īlthough having less than a car door’s worth of metal and plastic between me and falling to my doom did not help my fear of flying, getting the chance to be in control of my own destiny kinda did. Back in high school, we took a group of elementary school students to the local airport as part of a summer engineering program I was helping to teach. I’ve found ways over the years to try to get over that fear, including one unexpected method: piloting a plane. However, in all of that, the actual “traveling in the air” part of air travel has been a challenge for me in part because I’m afraid of heights-and especially terrified at the idea of being high up in the air with no solid ground to escape to should a problem arise. Even in recent years, as I’ve travelled more for work or to see family halfway across the globe, no amount of stress, hassle, or financial burden has been able to temper my passion. To me, airplanes and airports weren’t simply vehicles and structures to facilitate the moving of people from one place to another, they were the keys to endless possibilities. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been enamored with air travel.