Coolest Neighbour Ever

(Recent Developments)
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This is our neighbour, Phil. He lives directly next to us. He's friendly and pleasant (and quiet) and a good neighbor. Until recently the only distinguishing thing I could have told you about him is that he needs longer shorts for the gym. I'm embarrassed to write that now, after his kind offer we took him up on yesterday.
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Phil owns his own plane. I know! Trust me, he's my only neighbor in this bracket. Anyhow, he invited us to come to Springbank airport to go for a spin through an official program called Young Eagles where pilots take kids up and give them a taste for flying.
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Phil's plane seats 4 people, so Ken went up with Carmen and Chloe.
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Carmen took the first turn as co-pilot and got to control the plane once Phil got it off the ground. She helped fly to High River where Phil landed the plane and Carmen and Chloe switched seats.
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(Poor Ken didn't get a turn at the controls.)
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I guess when Phil gave the controls over to Chloe she didn't have the arm strength to maneuver the plane (it's a one-handed control for both altitude and direction). Phil suggested she try two hands, and when she reached across her body with the second hand and grabbed on to the stick the plane banked heavily to the left which provided some real excitement until Phil quickly corrected Chloe's turn. (By the time I heard the story it was funny.)
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When the first threesome returned to Springbank Steven and I went up.

(Jaclyn stayed home - too much homework)
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Steven helped pilot the trip south. We were interested and asked questions but Phil told us he was getting a lot fewer "Cool!"(s) and "This is awesome!"(s) from Steven and I than he got from Carmen and Chloe.

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I tried to be more expressive and conversational when I got my turn at the controls, but I still failed to match Carmen's enthusiasm I'm sure. I was nervous to take the controls - not that I was worried I'd crash the plane, but just that I wouldn't do well. I'm glad I didn't let that get in the way of trying because it was fun and interesting.

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Steven was a little bored in the back seat and I can't say I'm sorry because he took some pictures out the windows. Here are the mountains covered in clouds in the late afternoon.

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We flew past Steven, Carmen, and Chloe's school and right over the house of Steven's friend Sean, which we didn't get a picture of.

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Steven's view of the city from the west.

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Steven has been on a commercial flight before, but he way preferred this small plane. As he told Phil, flying commercial is like riding a bus. This was Carmen and Chloe's first time in the air and they loved the bird's eye view of things as well as the feeling of flying. Ken has gone on business trips in a small plane before, but just to exciting places like Saskatchewan. Phil has flown himself and his wife as far as the Caribbean!

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I know Steven has already posted about this on facebook, and Carmen and Chloe can't wait to tell their friends tomorrow. We'll remember this chance we had to fly a plane for a long time.