By Ian Crowley
When most of us think of flying, we think of long lines, security checks, missing baggage, and sitting at a gate while your plane slowly gets more and more delayed. However, my recent experience with the Ocean City air show has completely changed my view.
I’ve always enjoyed planes – looking at the newly released military F-35s and F-22s, starstruck at the amount of power they produce. We really are lucky to have such a strong military. But I’ve also always had a certain appreciation for smaller propeller-driven planes as well. My grandfather, Dick Ely, has owned many planes. My mother would always tell me stories of when she was a kid going to the Ocean City airport, hopping in my grandfather’s plane, and soon arriving at Disney.
This Saturday, September 15, as I was taking a break from working the entrance gate to the airport with Boy Scout Troop 32, I decided to follow a set of signs reading “Airplane Rides.” Hoping it was a Cessna 172, a plane I one day hope to own, I was shocked when I reached my destination, but maybe not in the way you’d think. Red Baron Air Tours was offering private rides for $35 per person – a great deal.
I approached the gate and was hoping that with a little luck, I could talk my way into being allowed to maneuver the little fixed-wing. However, if I was able to accomplish such a feat, I knew I wouldn’t be able to take pictures, so I recruited my good friend, Dominic Morrill, whose father is a pilot, and who also knows quite a bit about Cessna 172s.
I’ve done a few Cessna flight simulators, and stepping into the cockpit made me feel surprisingly at home. I looked around and recognized fuel selectors, trim settings, avionics switches, and radio knobs. The second I put my headset on, I knew my prayers had been answered.
Our pilot had been flying for a very long time and was very humble. As we sat on the taxiway, he cracked jokes and eased off the little bit of apprehension Dominic and I had about this flight. We got takeoff clearance, revved up the engine, and, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, we were off the ground. I was allowed to hold the yoke, the “steering wheel” of the plane, in which a 172 there are two.
Maybe it was because we were having so much fun, but it seemed like only 25 seconds before we were at the tip of the island facing towards Longport. When we turned Southwest, I saw many of the iconic Ocean City attractions such as Gillian’s, Manco & Manco Pizza, the Bennie’s Bread stores, and the Ocean City Tabernacle. As our pilot adjusted the trim, I glanced to my right. There was the famous Red Baron bi-plane, and as we started heading back towards the airport, we slowed down and looped around as we watched the Baron land.
Next up was our landing, and attached to this story you can see a video of how even through rough crosswinds, our pilot made the landing seem like riding a bike on freshly paved cement.
We were lucky enough to get the last flight in the Cessna of the day, so we got some extra time up in the air, and it was amazing.
I would like to thank the crew at Red Baron Air Tours for being so polite and kind and recommend that if you aren’t too scared of heights, you check their website out at redbaronairtours.com. A flight is a great gift to anyone, young or old, and is sure to bring out a smile on their face. Overall, I would definitely recommend everyone try an air tour, and I hope to see you all at next year’s Air Show!
Editor’s Note: Ian Crowley is an Ocean City resident, a seventh-grade student at the Intermediate School, a Boy Scout and a valued regular contributor to OCNJDaily.com.
