A long awaited dream come true

Pat Doody.

An aerial view of Tehachapi.

When I was a teenager, I often had dreams in which I was flying low over and through mountains, following the currents and looking down on the peaks and valleys. At times, they looked like I could reach out and touch them. As an adult, I often had the opportunity to fly in small planes, but as fun as it was it was always noisy and it seemed we were always going somewhere. It was never like my dreams.

On moving to Tehachapi about 13 years ago, I learned that the community had two airports. One is a very nice municipal airport and the other, Mountain Valley Airport, is a base for glider rides, as well as Skylark North Glider School, which is used by the United States Air Force to train their pilots to fly aircraft without engines. In my years of working with The Loop newspaper in Tehachapi, my job often took me to Mountain Valley. While I often thought it might be fun to ride in a glider, I always found an excuse not to do it.

Recently, listening to a friend describe his amazing flight in a glider brought back some of the memories of those dreams from long ago and I started thinking that perhaps I needed to experience it for myself.

It was on my birthday this year that I decided it was my time to fly, so I made a reservation. On a slightly windy Sunday afternoon, accompanied by my friend, I finally took what I guarantee will not be my one and only glider flight.

I climbed into my seat in the front of the sleek ASK21 sailplane; my pilot Wyant behind me. The tow plane took us to an altitude of 4,000 feet above Tehachapi and let us loose. As we circled the mountain tops, it brought back the memories of my youthful dreams. As we flew over the windmills, we looked toward the far-off San Bernardino mountains veiled in smoke from the recent forest fires. We turned and headed back along the mountains getting a bird's eye view of the Norbertine Monastery, Mountain Park and Brite Lake. We flew over Golden Hills and the city of Tehachapi, pinpointing all the new housing developments among other landmarks. It was such a treat to fly and be able to hold a conversation without having to yell through a headset.

This is an experience everyone should have at least once. I now have a great story and pictures to show my grandchildren when I see them during the holidays this year.

If you have ever considered flying, check out the flights at Skylark North, Mountain Valley Airport.