flying the malaysia skies

the pilot and co-pilot (me!)
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when in malaysia, one can rent an aircraft and make a day trip to a beach resort or to another city. that was exactly what i did on my birthday this year...flew from johor bahru to melaka.

when i first laid eyes on the plane, i thought `what a cute little thing!' the plane sits just 2 and in its little cockpit, i was fascinated with all the buttons and indicators.

on the start of the engine, the whole cockpit roared into life. after a short run along the runway, the plane lifted off the ground gently (weeeeeee...i believe i can flyyyyy). we flew around 1500 to 3000 feet above ground, low enough to observe the life of the locals.

this aircraft may be tiny, but it is sturdy
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holding the control stick felt very strange. there was nothing in front of me that could be used as bearing. all i could see was...the sky. my hands were frozen, i could hardly breathe. i was responsible for 2 lives!!! just when i thought i was doing well. my friend asked if i had noticed that the plane was not quite flying parallel to the ground. huh!? er...actually, no, i didn't. he added that if we had continued, we would soon be flying vertical to the ground. that was the end of my flying career.

touching down at johor bahru
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without the headphone, the noise can be quite deafening. communication between the pilot and the co-pilot (me!) is through the headphone. occasionally we would receive instructions from the air traffic control. so taking off the handphone is not an option for the pilot. if you have a pilot boyfriend who doesn't listen, this is the time to unload all your thoughts. but be prepared for an emergency landing.

the aircraft was so small that i could see the sky all around me. i felt very light...just floating in the air. the vast space surrounding me calmed and cleared my mind. i enjoyed this new experience very much.

inside the control tower
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happy birthday to me!