Today’s airplane rides are usually plagued with extra expenses, headaches, lost time, tight quarters, non-existent snacks and cranky passengers. However, when offered a chance to glide amongst the birds with the Highland Lakes Squadron Commemorative Air Force, (CAF) I knew I wouldn’t be facing any of these irritating issues. An open-cockpit scenic jaunt in the Texas Hill Country? Maybe. A 70+ year-old over-zealous pilot raring to scare me to death? A distinct possibility.

For you war trivia buffs, The CAF is a great learning/teaching opportunity for the family. The museum shares a collection of momentos from our country’s wars, including WW-II, Korea, Viet Nam, and Afganistan/Iraq. It’s a motor head’s dream: engines, tanks, helmets, air-to-air missiles, oh my! I opted for the Snoopy-look, scoring a silk scarf and leather flying cap from a nearby mannequin. The rambunctious crew, Jack Bass, Harold Smith and my pilot Leroy Riser, (a 55-year veteran) were ecstatic about our flight. (I was just happy about my Snoopy get-up.)

The Fairchild PT-19 Cornell was my chariot that day. Brightly painted, it was built largely from non-strategic materials such as wood and fabric although the frame is steel tubing. We wore headsets and coined nicknames (Mine was ‘Grasshopper.’ Go figure.) to communicate while in flight. What happened next was a series of cloud climbs, followed by dives toward the Earth and various tumultuous flips over Lake LBJ all happening at a constant rate of 100 MPH.

It was a day I’ll never forget, sucking thin oxygen, questioning my own sanity, reveling in one man’s full-throttle thrill for flying.

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About the author

Autumn Carpenter
While navigating the carpool lane and translating toddler conversations might not rank high on some adventure life lists, I happily include those accomplishments alongside skydiving, dodging Pamplonian bulls and surviving three-hour Vinyasa yoga classes. I look for the story in everyday situations, and convey them easily in both print and online mediums. I’m also SEO-friendly ghostblogger, web content writer and copywriter. Let’s collaborate on a project today!