Aviaton Story #1: Waco Biplanes

My dad and I, sporting our slightly new windblown hairstyles, after landing. We had to climb up on that wing, with the propeller spinning and blowing air all around us, to get into the seating area of the biplane.

For my first aviation story, I'm going to give you all a slightly more detailed version of the story I shared in class on the first day. For Father's Day 2013, my dad decided instead of our usual father-daughter breakfast, he wanted to do something slightly more memorable. My dad has worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in the Public Affairs office for as long as I've been alive and has always been a huge history buff. He does a lot with the Air Force Museum in his duties at work, so I've always associated older airplanes with memories of hanging out with my dad as a little girl. My dad heard on the radio last spring that Waco Air Museum in Troy, Ohio was offering a special where two passengers could ride in one of their biplanes. He decided that's what he wanted to do.

An aerial view of Troy, Ohio

I have to admit, I was a little weary about climbing into this little plane and soaring up into the air. Up to this point, I'd only been a passenger on commercial airlines, which seemed a lot safer to me! After contorting our bodies into unnatural positions to climb into the seats, the scariest part of the flight was taking off. Once in the air, it was beautiful to look down over Troy, Ohio at all the cornfields and local businesses. We flew over high schools, houses, and a horse and buggy (or that's what we thought that little dot was). The sound of the propellers and winds deafened us for days after the ride, and it took me over a week to comb all the knots out of my hair that formed from the gusts. It didn't matter though. Waco Biplanes definitely gave us a Father's day that we'll never forget. :)