AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018 - 24

FLYING LIFE

Aviation's unexpected gifts

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Making peace with the illusion of control
THERE IS A PRINT THAT HANGS in the stairwell photo
gallery in my home that says, "If you hold on to the
handle...it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry
you." I bought the print, by American artist Brian
Andreas, shortly after I started pursuing a career
in flying. I had just graduated college and was still
grieving the recent death of my father. In short, all
of the changes left me feeling a bit adrift and wrestling with one of life's toughest lessons: We cannot
control everything.
People who have been around aviation for a while
know this particular lesson well. Everyone who starts
out with the plan of earning a private pilot certificate in one month knows that weather and equipment

Sometimes the things that are beyond our control
can be the greatest gifts.

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER owns a

Cessna 172 named
Lola.

issues can extend that timeline drastically-or ask
someone who planned to fly to a family reunion only
to be grounded by thunderstorms. While this feeling
of powerlessness can be frustrating and downright
painful at times, aviation also reminds us that sometimes the things that are beyond our control can be
the greatest gifts.
On the kids' fall break last year, we flew Lola, our
Cessna 172, to Asheville, North Carolina, to spend
a week with my uncle and his family taking in the
breathtaking fall colors of the Smoky Mountains.
With a 30-knot tailwind and severely clear VFR
weather, the flight over to Asheville made us feel like
lottery winners: good weather, an airworthy airplane,
and healthy kids all working in our favor to make for
one perfect trip. At one point, my husband texted to
brag to my uncle, who was traveling to Asheville by
car: "175 knots groundspeed! Beautiful scenery. See
you guys there." My uncle replied: "Stuck in traffic.
Will be delayed. Get the cold beer ready." We felt very
lucky indeed.
The week was full of great hiking and memorable family meals. My only regret was that we didn't
have time to visit one of my favorite Asheville stops,
the historic Biltmore Estate, George Vanderbilt's

24 | AOPA PILOT February 2018

1895 mansion that sits on 8,000 sprawling acres of
pristine beauty. On Sunday morning, I woke up and
checked the weather for our trip home. Not good.
Strong winds at altitude meant a turbulent ride over
the mountains. Throw in some IFR ceilings en route,
and I was not looking forward to the flight. If the tailwinds getting here had felt like a gift, the weather
going home seemed to be a curse.
Because of the low ceilings en route, I filed IFR
at an altitude of 10,000 feet, direct from Asheville to
our first fuel stop, Shelbyville, Tennessee, where my
mother lives and had planned to meet us for lunch.
The Asheville airport sits at an elevation of 2,162
feet with rapidly rising terrain just to the west of the
field. As we took off and the controller realized that
Lola's climb rate was less than stellar, he assigned us
a northeasterly heading until we could climb high
enough to make our westbound turn. "There you go,
Nat," my husband said, looking below us with a smile.
Aviation was giving us her first gift for the day, an
aerial tour of the Biltmore. I got to see that magnificent estate and gardens from the air, leaving me with
a mental picture I will not soon forget.
When we finally arrived in Shelbyville after a
long, bumpy ride, the weather ahead of us was not
looking promising. A glance at the radar in the FBO
confirmed that instead of a picnic with mom, we
would be spending the night. Mom was thrilled for
the chance to spend some extra time with us, and
by us, I mean her grandchildren. But I was worried
about what the delay would mean for work the next
day. Even if we left at the crack of dawn, my husband and I would still be at least an hour late for our
Monday morning appointments, and the kids would
be late getting to school. Again, change is hard for
someone who likes to feel that she is in control.
My husband and I both made some phone calls
and delayed our schedules for the next day. In the
end, it was no big deal. I realized, looking back, that if
I could trade a morning at school for one more night
with my grandma, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Later that
night, sitting in mom's living room in front of a warm
fire, enjoying a bowl of soup and conversation with
my mom, I sent up a prayer of thanks that some things
are out of my control.
AOPA
WEB

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2018

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