Joanne Sisco

F = Flying

The letter *F* shouldn’t have been such a difficult one.

I’ve been to Florence, Frankfurt, even Florianopolis in Brazil.  Toss in Florida for good measure, and there should have been a lot of material to work with.

But there’s not.  No photos … a complete bust.

So I decided to change tactics.  So much of travelling is …well, the travelling part.

From our first trip as a couple in 1983 to Barbados …

Joanne 1983
Yes – that’s me.

… to flying with our sons the first time in 1990 to Timmins (Canada).

Travel 1991
Misha and Jordan – Toronto Airport

Flying is usually the way we get to our planned destination.

F = Flying2
2004 – Cairns, Australia on route to Alice Springs

In fact, flying left such a huge impression on son #1 that Jordan eventually decided he needed to be able to fly on his own.

F = Flying3

Photo taken by Kevin Ponte

 

From big planes to puddle jumpers to helicopters, flying has become a normal part of being a global traveller.

F

 

 

75 comments

  1. I have been lately realizing I write comments but don’t wait till my orange line on my cell phone crosses the page. Anyway, trying to rewrite something from about a week ago. . .
    Flying is meaningful as part of the Journey. Leaving and arriving, then home again. Like bookends, the plane rides carry excitement and expectation. I think your memories can always be supplemented with postcards or looking into your internet to find similar views and scenery.
    I enjoyed seeing your young boys and your grown up pilot of small planes. I am glad this is stress releasing; while major flights are stressful for the pilots and air comptrollers. Smiles, Robin

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    • I think once upon a time flying was fun and exciting. It just isn’t any more … spending hours of hurry-up-and-wait, crammed into seats that are much to small, little or no amenities.
      They have now made flying something that needs to be endured.

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  3. Aw, shucks! I thought you were on that plane with Jordan and took the picture yourself…I was going to commend you on your bravery.

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      • I can only imagine. When my daughter was learning to drive, I made her so nervous she stopped letting me teach her and paid fro lessons from a driving school..I could never imagine her on the freeway, at that time, and so was relieved to have missed that experience. Being a passenger in a plane with my child is unthinkable…anyone else’s would have been fin…but not my own.

        Though I was a teacher and taught many students swimming, bike riding, ice skating etc….when it came to my Michelle, all those milestones were learned by someone other than me. I would come home and she’d surprise me by jumping in the deep end of a pool and scaring me to death. What can I say, I was a wimpy mom.

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  4. Great idea for ‘f’…I do think flying has become a lot less fun though…it used to be a great part of the trip but now it seems an ordeal to be barely tolerated:-(

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  5. Nice twist on your theme. There is something magical about stepping on to a plane in one place / weather / temperature and stepping off somewhere completely different.

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  6. An Air Canada plane – let’s skip back to ‘D’ for dislike. Some of the worst flights I’ve ever had were long hauls between England and Canada on Air Canada!

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    • I’ve been on some really horrible flights so I’m prepared to cut Air Canada some slack. The conclusion I’m coming to is that they all need some remedial customer service.

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  9. Hope you take advantage of Jordan being able to fly a plane and get to places! I know what you mean, no pics of Berlin and hardly from several other places (and if, they’re non-digital).

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    • Losing photos is rather painful because they can never really be replaced. Oh well :/

      I’ve only flown with Jordan once. I love and trust my son, but those little planes terrify me.

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  11. I think the plane in the first photo is the one we are taking to Grande Prairie in the coming months! Like Jordan, my husband pursued flying but had to give it up when we got married & had a family. Just too expensive!

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  13. Oh wow! So is that what your son does for a living or is it just a hobby? When we go to NY in June it will be the first time my daughter gets on a plane. It’s been a long time for my son but he used to always throw up on flights. Hopefully he’s grown out of that by now!

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    • As much as Jordan would like to fly for a living, it unfortunately isn’t. I thought it was bad enough when my guys got driver’s licenses. This was SO much worse.

      I can relate to your son. I too get really nauseated on flights. I normally pick up a small bottle of bottle before I get on the plane. My mouth turns to chalk as soon as I board so being able to sip on water makes a huge difference and keeps the nausea at bay. I never rely on cabin service and always have my own water on hand.

      This is such an exciting trip to take with your kids. I’m guessing each of you are beside yourselves with excitement … but for different reasons 🙂

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  14. Ah, must be nice memories, even without all the photos. I do hope you find them.
    I don’t care to fly on commercial jets, but I love to fly in small aircraft — I find it soothing 🙂
    You must be so proud of your son, so rare they keep their early dreams!

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  15. Ahh flying – well done and a good topic for a post.
    Whenever I think of commercial flying I think of the irony of how we all complained about the meals that airlines used to serve, and now we’re just lucky if we get a bag of stale peanuts 😀
    Cute pic of the kids 🙂

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    • Yeah – I hadn’t thought of that. Meal service is a rare treat these days. I remember one particular meal on Air France about 10 years ago – real glass and cutlery, linen napkins, champagne before dinner, wine with dinner, … and this was in Economy!!

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  16. Wow, I’m impressed by anyone brave enough to take to the skies under their own steam!! During take-off, I’m gripping on to the nearest person’s hand with my eyes shut – which wouldn’t be good for a pilot!

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  17. Oh, thank goodness Torrie said something because that was my first thought too but everybody else was ignoring it and being so nice. How can you have NO photos??
    In a box somewhere is my British Airways Junior Jet Club badge from 1979, my first time in an aeroplane. (The first international journey when I was 3 months was by ship.) I still have vivid memories of so many parts of the flight. I’ve loved to fly ever since, take offs and landings being my favourite bits. (Yeah, but you already knew I was weird….) Didn’t love it so much as to learn how to do it so kudos to Jordan. That’s pretty cool to have a pilot in the family!

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    • By now you’ve read my response to Torrie. I feel sick about the photos I can’t find, but what can I do? I keep hoping they’ll magically re-appear someday.
      There are actually 2 pilots in my family. My oldest brother also got his pilot’s license many, many years ago and eventually bought a little bush plane with pontoons.
      He no longer flies and sold his little plane.

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  18. I dislike flying, but do it to get from point A to B. I remember back when it was stylish and refined, but now I’m just another inconvenience that the flight crew has to deal with. 😉

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    • I’m on the same page as you. For me, it is a necessary evil and I’m usually white-knuckled and stomach churning through every take-off and landing.
      There is nothing glamorous about flying, but it’s a great way to get from point A to point B.

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  19. A great way to go with this post though I can’t believe you had no photos of all those destinations you’ve done beginning with F! Seeing you out there on the runway makes me think how much flying has changed in recent years…..those shots would never happen today I bet.

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    • I’m pretty surprised too, Torrie. There are so many photos of trips I can’t find .. some of them relatively recently .. and then there are those where the photo quality is just too poor to work with.

      Florianopolis was a trip that was totally race related and all the photos reflected it. I didn’t want to write another post about a race. Race related photos are often so generic they could be anywhere and unfortunately all the wonderful things you see and experience during the race itself aren’t captured on camera.

      I still see people taking a quick photo when boarding or debarking a plane. I think if you were to linger on the tarmac they might say something, but otherwise, I’ve never seen anyone discouraged from doing it.

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    • I have to admit, I wasn’t really happy about it. As a parent, we fret about our kids getting driver’s licenses. This was worse. SO. MUCH. WORSE.

      It’s ironic that I have a high sense of adventure, yet it makes me uncomfortable to see it in my sons.

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  25. Nice way to sidestep the original plan! Very creative. I don’t think I could have done it. I’m already dreading tomorrow because I have no idea what I will post for G!

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    • Wish I could help you. Have you considered taking an innocuous word like *gifts* for example, and using it as a touchstone to leap into a story?

      I’m trying to do that right now with some of my problem letters. Frankly, I’m not having much success so far, but you might be luckier 🙂

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  26. Wow.. Flying is always a best part while travelling different places. And Jordan & Misha are cute children.. Flying is always awesome.. 🙂

    Have a great day. 🙂

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