What Goes Up...
"You can float in the plane," said Ron.
"What do you mean?" Larry asked him.
I was sitting on the back of the small airplane that Ron was flying.
After high school, we had all gone our separate ways. Years later we met again, and as it turned out, Ron had become a pilot, of all things, and he had access to a small airplane, on which we were then flying.
I felt the airplane go up and point its nose straight up, and then my heart seemed to give out. The pit of my stomach sank as the plane dropped all of a sudden like lead, and I felt myself coming off the seat and floating towards the middle of the cabin.
“Holy shit!” Larry and I said at the same time. It was a brief, but what a rush!
“Oh man that’s nuts,” I said.
“Take this quarter," said Ron reaching into his pocket, "and put it on the tip of your finger. Hold it like that. Now watch.”
Larry put the coin on the tip of his index finger.
Again, Ron swooped up in an arc and pointed the plane’s nose straight up, then like a drop on a leaf, he let it fall.
The coin floated in the air, and so did my soul. It was far out, but soon I began to feel queasy. I sat back feeling wretched.
“Want me to do it again?”
“No man, that’s good.” We both told him.
I could barely say a word and just sat back with a groan, hoping we’d get down to the ground soon. When we did so, I was glad to put both feet firmly upon it.
I took the video in this post last summer during the firework festivities. People began gathering early in the day to find a good spot from where to view the pyrotechnics. I found a nice grassy knoll and recorded the video. While reviewing it today, I saw that the pilot did the same maneuver as my friend, Ron, had done that day. It looked like he was having fun. But I still get that queasy feeling in my stomach when I see it.
Video by @litguru
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Ohh, I will fear for my life too was I to be in your position. Nice one dear
It was an amazing feeling when the plane just dropped and a bit scary 🫨
Thank you, @amiableamara
The opening dialogue immediately pulls the reader in and creates a sense of mystery. "You can float in the plane" is an intriguing hook that makes the reader want to find out more. Well done on the engaging opening line. You do a good job setting the context at the beginning - explaining how you and your friends had lost touch after high school but later reconnected when you learned Ron had become a pilot. This backstory helps ground the story. Nice Job!
Thank you! This is my first non-fiction piece in the community. I'm happy you enjoyed it! I tried using the fiction narrative principles, as you noted :)
This short piece is amazing! I would totally be scared too if I were in your shoes 😂. It's really great to have a friend like Ron. He sounds like an adventurous person.
It was scary because I wasn't expecting it. I just felt my stomach drop and my heart on my throat as the plane plummeted. I knew Ron as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but I was surprised he became a pilot. So that gave me some concern, but it all turned out well in the end 🛩
If I am I that situation, so much fear resonating deep within
Yes, the whole plane just drops, so one is basically falling inside the plane. 😥
I don't know why I'm laughing but I know this feeling even though it's quite different from what it's in the video. I would scream my lungs out if any pilot tried that with me on the plane. It scares me.
I laughed about it after, but at that moment, I just about died of fright. I was very pale when I got to the ground. 🤢
Holy smoke! What a devil of a flyer. I don't know whether I find it brave or foolhardy, but apparently the pilot knows the behaviour of his machine. Incredible performance!
I can only sympathise too well with the fact that your heart sank when you had your own experience of the same kind. Even on flights where the large passenger planes suddenly plummet downwards, you can recognise what you are describing.
A long time ago, when I was still working in the PR industry, there was a competition to win a parabolic flight (the winners had previously completed a so-called cosmonaut training programme and had flown to Russia/Baikonur). Those were the days!
LoL :D - Hope your second one isn't still running around somewhere. HaHa!
That pilot was having a ton of fun up there. You can see how he (or she) swerves as he's dropping, all for fun. It's not everyday a pilot gets to do it, so I imagine it was a hoot.
It's that rollercoaster type of feeling. I believe it's the same concept as microgravity in space, so this is probably the only chance I will get to experience it. Too bad I nearly passed out. Haha
That would be fun!
We were all a bunch of clowns back then. I haven't seen Ron in a long time. I heard his plane crashed on a lake but thankfully, he survived unscathed. Larry was my best bud, and he lives in the province, but we don't hang out like we used to in school. As far as my soul goes, I think it's still floating somewhere in the atmosphere. 😆
This descent looked like a crash from which there seemed to be no return (gulp!). Both the passengers and the spectators experienced a revelation for themselves. I am always amazed when I see such daring manoeuvres and can hardly believe that such people still exist in the age of couch surfing. Humans are simply incredible creatures!
Glad your friend survived the crash. My brother works at a small airfield and has seen a few crashes and most have come out alive. He took me and my son on a little sightseeing flight once.
Yes, the times with friends from back then are wonderful memories, I wouldn't want to miss them either.
The most dangerous thing I did myself was a white-water river trip in a rubber dinghy with a group of work colleagues.
Greetings to your soul in the atmosphere ;)
The province in which I live is mountainous and is popular with outdoor enthusiasts, so we have a lot of people who are attracted to extreme adventures. On a trip to Whistler, I met a world-champion base jumper. Unfortunately, a few months later, I heard that he had suffered a fatal accident. So, while the rewards are mind blowing, the dangers are very real.
That is a lot of fun. I've done this as well. So much fun.
👻
Everything seems to be in cycle and happens to everyone
Great use of dialogue here. You interpose the dialogue with exposition so that both add to the dynamics of the piece. As you share the experience with readers, most will be happy they were not on that plane.
Thank you for sharing this aerial adventure with us, @litguru
Thank you! Joy riding on an airplane is exhilarating, but it makes you question the wisdom of your choices in life 😅
Yay! 🤗
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That was a neat plane trick.
I feel queasy just watching it, although I'll want to experience it 😂😂😂
It looked like the pilot was having a lot of fun going up and down. Makes me dizzy seeing it. :D
😂😂😂
This entire concept is very thought provoking and intriguing @litguru, and has really put me on some serious planes of thought lol. Nicely written!
It appears as though that plane is defying physics in its upward trajectory, and with a touch of zero gravity at its peak ;D
It blew me away when I came across the explanation that what we used to call "zero gravity" was a misnomer. There is some (micro)gravity where astronauts and spaceships are located, but it's weak, so people and craft in space are perpetually falling towards Earth but moving sideways at high speed, so they float. It's like an ever-ending roller coaster freefall 😳
That pilot was having a load of fun in that plane. Dude was basically jumping from a high cliff in the sky and just going wheee!