I am not a high time or adventuresome pilot and have never had to deal with any truly scary incidents. Many years ago, I purchased a Cessna 172 and used it to obtain my Private Pilot’s Licence. I soon discovered flying high or far did not excite me; that I could do faster and more comfortably on commercial airlines. When Wilf Stark purchased a Rans S-12 Kit, I became a partner in that aircraft, and the fun of flying entered my life. I have since built and test flown four aircraft. Sure, I had a few Rotax Moments, but the prairies are a good place to be when things get quiet at the front of an airplane. The most exciting or maybe frightening thing I have ever done was after I filled out a Student Pilot Permit for my son Michael, then stepped out of the aircraft and said, “OK do a circuit on your own.” He still reminds me of that moment some 20 years later.

I have handled registration and scheduling of Calgary’s COPA for Kids flight since I don’t know when. We get a few “thank you” emails every year but one stuck in my mind. It was from a mother: “Thank you so much, my daughter Olivia has been going through difficult times and her flight Saturday was a highlight. She spoke of it all evening. You may remember her; she was the one with a leg brace”.

A month or so ago I received another email asking when the event would be held this year. When I replied that it would be sometime in September, I received the response: “That would be too late”. I never asked why but volunteered to take Olivia for a flight anytime that was convenient. After some correspondence and many scheduling conflicts I was able to take Olivia for a flight last Friday.

When Olivia attended COPA for kids last year she was going through a painful leg lengthening process. She wore a leg brace and used a crutch to get around. It was obvious that she had a lot of confidence and spunk, as she was not afraid to hobble around in shorts with a crutch showing her leg and brace. Olivia is a cancer survivor and treatments she received at the age of five slowed the growth of her leg. When Ben Stefanic and I met up with Olivia, her Mother and Grandmother at the Chestermere Tim Horton’s Friday morning, Olivia’s leg had been lengthened 18cm and her limp was hardly noticeable. We drove out to Stefanic field, where I gave them all a flight briefing and explained the basics of flight to Olivia, loaded her into the SportStar and left the two ladies with Ben to entertain.

It was 11 AM and the temperature was already 22°C, so I warned my passenger about how bumpy it would be. I let Olivia taxi the aircraft to position and follow me through the take-off. I had promised to give her a flight lesson. At altitude it was very rough, and it took a lot of effort just to keep the SportStar flying in a straight line. Since Olivia was following me on the controls and expecting to take control, I again explained the fundamentals and finally said “you have control.” She did remarkably well. After some time I explained how to do a 360° turn, did one and then had her do the same. After that, except for the landing, she flew the aircraft for the rest of the flight.

Since it was so rough, I kept my eyes on the instruments and the flight in general. I never did look over to see how she was doing. I did cheat a little by using the trims to make sure we were always at the correct altitude. After having her turn then straighten out to follow the Bow River east, I heard a loud “WHEEEE!” and finally, I looked at Olivia. I could see by the smile on her face—it was a shout of glee. She did this a few more times during our flight. On landing, the first thing my passenger said to her mother was “We have to get an Airplane.”

I then took Olivia’s mother, then her grandmother for short flights. Her grandmother was as enthusiastic about flying as Olivia. At one point saying “this must be how an eagle feels.” How often does one get to take 3 generations of a family for flights in one afternoon?

That day was the most rewarding day of my entire flying career. It also made me realize that I had progressed from a simple Private Pilot to the enjoyable pursuit of flying for fun. The next day I received the following email:

“Hi Ed! Thanks you very very much for the flying on Friday. We had such a great time; it was really a treat for us. Olivia has been talking about it non-stop. Could you please also thank Ben for us? The whole experience was a (pardon the pun) real high!

Many Regards,

Rebecca, Olivia and Heather.”