"Flight deck, this is Piper Cub niner-one-niner... over"

I obviously do not have a solid grasp on "pilot-talk", but I do have one request for all of my future commercial flights.... I want to sit in the cockpit.  (like that'll ever happen, but it doesn't hurt to dream, kids.) It's the coolest, being able to see out the front window. 

I remember the first time I rode in this same little Piper Cub to take aerial photographs.  I distinctly recall thinking "there's room for TWO people in there?!" Then I wondered if the same people who determine the man-capacity of tents in the camping department of Cabella's must be the same people who build small airplanes.  For example, a "Four-man tent" really means a "Two-small-boys-and-a-napsack tent", and a "2-seater airplane" really means "your-legs-aren't-that-important-anyway-so-you'll-need-to-remove-them-to-get-into-this airplane." 

Now, the reason that I was in the airplane in the first place.... This is the second time we've been commissioned by Gingerich Well & Pump Service to photograph a drilling site, and both times Jodi emphatically stated that she would NOT be the one riding in the airplane.  This is due to a severe case of motion sickness.  In fact, while I'm typing to you, I'll tell a story about Jodi's motion sickness.  Once upon a time, she was riding with an engaged couple scouting locations at which to take their future wedding photos.  The groom-to-be was driving, and apparently it was not suitable to Jodi's weak stomach.  After a few too many side streets, bumps and turns, she had had enough, and sweetly asked to be excused from the moving vehicle.  Upon her rapid exit, she visited a telephone pole where the motion sickness won the battle of wills.  The location searching continued, but with each person in the car a different form of embarrassed.:)

All of that to show you a few shots of my ride in a tiny airplane over Columbus City, Iowa.... 

 

Terry Spitzer, the pilot.  

One more thing.  The next time it's 33˚ in your neighborhood, go for a little drive.  Get your car up to about 70-80 mph, and then lean out of the window, and you'll have a pretty good idea of how glamourous aerial photos can be in November.  Now, to re-attach those legs....