Missy's Corner

Ever wonder what its like to be an astronaut? I know as a kid I used to look up at the stars and try and find the constellations; Orion, the big and little Dipper, the north star, even Mars if you can believe it. While my infatuation with space and the planets never went past the atmosphere, I know there are people out there who have made it their mission to break free. One friend that I went to elementary and middle school with knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an astronaut. Today, she lives in Houston and works for mission control, just one step closer to getting into the vast darkness of space.

On the other hand, we have those that are satisfied with staying on Terra firma. People who will never and have never flown in their lifetime. I, for one, have never been a fan of flying in jumbo jets; every dip and turn, take-off and landing, would make my stomach cringe. No wonder the Pope kissed the ground when he deplaned! Most arm rests on planes probably have permanent marks where I gripped the seat for dear life. But I have come to the terms with the fact that flying is the most efficient time wise, so I'll pack my bags and print my boarding pass.

All that was before I met Mister and his father. They are the type of people who enjoy the area in between the ground and space. When the two of them are in a cockpit with nothing but blue skies ahead, I can tell they are in heaven. The flow of air over the wings and flaps, dials turning and showing how high and how fast we are going, and the sound of the propellers whirring away, seems like a lot to keep track of; but for the two of them, it's perfection. The way Mister feels when he flies is probably similar to the way I feel when I paint. I remember the first time I sat with Mister's dad, in their Cessna 140 (essentially, a cockpit with wings!) and taxied to the airport's grass runway. I was prepared for the bumpiest ride of my life; after all, sometimes the big planes feel like they are going to fall apart and they are taking off from solid concrete! Before I knew it though, we were climbing towards the clouds; take off was like butter! I caught the bug and have been up at least four times since. Once we even flew around Stone Mountain! The prettiest view of Robert E. Lee, Jeff Davis, and Stonewall Jackson I've ever had the pleasure to see! Unfortunately, the 140 is only small enough to seat two people (very closely, I might add!), so I've never seen Mister while he and his dad are doing flips and nosedives and other cool tricks. I have, however, ridden in a larger airplane his dad owns, as shown in these two cockpit pictures - he uses his Piper Chieftain for an air charter service called Affordable Charters of Excellence.

I know you have to be wondering, "why in a blog about kittens and personal art, is this girl talking about space and flying?" Well, Mister forwarded me a video from his father that was so inspirational, I just had to share it with as many people as I can! In the video, a British reporter gets the chance to go for the ride of his life, one that many of us would envy. The Lockheed U-2 "is a single-engine, very high-altitude surveillance aircraft flown by the United States Air Force," that was created as a spy plane in the 1950's. This video gives a breathtaking look at what the world looks like from 70,000 feet in the air.