Page 47 of The Truth About You and Me
‘Ever flown before?’ Greg asks, his blue eyes crinkling at the edges, his whole body relaxed.
‘Me. No!’ I glance back to Jack.
Greg smiles. ‘Well, it’s a great day for it. I’ll go through a few safety points then we’re cleared for take-off in’ – he checks his watch – ‘twenty minutes.’
Greg goes through the safety checks before we make our way towards the aircraft. ‘You’ll be wearing seatbelts and headsets so listen carefully to me during the flight. So the big question is’ – he turns to me – ‘would you like to take the back with our man Jack here, or would you like to fly?’
‘Sorry?’ I frown.
Jack leans forwards. ‘Greg is a great teacher. Don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands.’
‘I…’
Greg smiles. ‘There’s no pressure, Maggie. The choice is yours: in the back as a sightseer or… you can take control of Penelope here?’ He taps the nose of the plane. ‘Once we’re up.’
‘No pressure.’ Jack meets my eyes. ‘It’s up to you.’
I look from Jack to Greg then to the plane,Penelope.
‘So, Maggie, what’ll it be? Wanna learn to fly?’
‘Yes.’ I take a deep breath, my head nodding. ‘Yes, I… thank you.’ I spin round to Jack and he nods encouragement, a smile in his eyes before he reaches up and lifts himself into the back of the plane.
Greg leads me to the front, opens the door, and I pull myself into the co-pilot seat. I swallow down the dryness in my throat as I look at all the dials and levers in front of me. Greg climbs in, first turning around and passing a headset to Jack who is sitting behind the pilot, then he hands me my own before securing his. I fasten the seatbelt, again staring at all the dials in front of me.
‘Ah don’t worry, it looks more complicated than it is. I’ll take care of everything and once we’re up, you can take the lead… Sound good?’
‘Yep.’ My whole body is shaking as my eyes look out to the stretch of tarmac ahead. The engine starts and the whole machine begins to rumble, as it slowly moves towards the runway.
‘Good morning, control,’ Greg’s voice comes through the headset, as relaxed as if he’s ordering a chow mein from China City, not about to launch us into the sky. ‘This is G-ADCF, Cessna 172, requesting clearance for take-off. Three on board and ready for departure. Over.’
I look over my shoulder at Jack, who is leaning back, as relaxed as if we were about to watchTop Gunwith Henry between us. He mouths:you good?I nod, turning my head back, facing the runway.
‘Roger, G-ADCF, cleared for take-off.’ I look at Greg in awe as he smiles at the response. It’s like he’s waiting at a roundabout rather than on a runway.
Greg points to the lever and explains it’s the throttle and pushes it forwards. ‘All right there, Maggie?’ Greg says over the sound of the engine increasing as we begin along the runway. My body feels like it’s being pushed back into my seat as we bump along the tarmac.
‘All good!’ I reply. He pulls back on the steering and the nose lifts. I lean forwards as the plane banks to the left. The ground sinks beneath us, trees and fields rushing past. I hold my breath tight in my lungs as the aircraft lifts higher until it levels out. Beneath us, the fields look like a patchwork of greens and yellows, light bouncing off the sea in the distance. Roads and cars look like kids’ toys, the coastline curving around the sea to the west. It’s everything I dreamed it would be.
‘Holy shit, is that Harrowsby?’ I ask after a short time.
‘Yep,’ Jack’s voice comes through. He leans forward, his arm stretched, finger pointing. ‘There’s the high street.’
I look down and think of the times I have walked those streets. We head towards the sea, the plane evening out.
‘So, Maggie, you want to take the reins?’ I look over, startled, but I can already feel the need to put my hands on the steering, or yoke, as Greg calls it. I look over my shoulder at Jack who grins and nods. ‘Go for it,’ he says through the headset then leans back, and crosses his leg over his thigh.
My hand is shaking as I tentatively reach out. It’s strong and powerful beneath the leather of my gloves. I take hold, the vibrations of the plane now more emphasised beneath my fingers. It’s powerful, exhilarating and terrifying, yet I also feel a deep sense of calm, of feeling grounded, which is ironic given how far the ground is beneath me. Greg explains how to apply gentle pressure; the plane reacts to every little movement but right now I’m in complete control.
‘That’s it, nice and steady.’
‘I’m bloody flying, Jack!’ I say, cheeks already hurting from smiling so much. I hear his familiar laugh.
‘You are. Tom Cruise eat your heart out.’
Greg leans back, head turning briefly. ‘Don’t look away!’ I shriek, panic tensing my whole body. ‘Ah you’re doing great. I might have a little nap.’ His eyes crinkle at the sides, but stay on the dashboard.
Greg points out the key landmarks, the church and the cliffs, and then we settle into comfortable silence as I –me!– fly us over the bay.
