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Fear of flying


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I think the year was 2006.

My wife, son and I boarded a plane to go to our nephew’s wedding in Annapolis, Maryland. And although he wasn’t crying or misbehaving otherwise, I could see a bit of anxiety flying about on our son’s young face.

And because he and I had had a prior conversation, I tried to do something special to help calm his fears.

So, when we boarded, I made a point to sneakily tell the head flight attendant that this was his first flight. After getting the plane up in the air and before it was time to pass out snacks, the surprise unfolded.

The captain announced the name of all the first-time flyers – just the little kids – over the public-address system, while the flight attendants went around and pinned wings on each little passenger.

I could see the smile on my son’s face dissolve any anxiety he felt previously.

Last Saturday, I could relate a bit to my son’s trepidation, however, I was not going to let anyone see it on my face. Or, so I thought.

After hopping in the seat of the single-engine plane, we strapped in, secured the top and sat on the grassy runway at Haller Airpark awaiting our turn to take off.

Upon takeoff, we cleared the trees and headed south of Green Cove Springs. My pilot, Joe Tierney, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, looked over and asked, “Are you doing, OK?” (See how he busted me?)

I said, “Yeah, yeah,” as I took a break from wondering at all of the stands of pines below us. It looked like pines for miles and miles. The plane tilted to the left and Joe said we were going to take a turn and head north now.

All I could do is stare out of the window.

“Is that St. Johns County, over there?” I asked as we coasted above the river and headed to Green Cove Springs.

We were about 800 feet high and we traveled about 200 miles per hour in his plane he built himself using a kit. He said he invested about $70,000 in the aircraft, but on the retail market, the same plane would cost as much as $500,000.

The air was crisp and the sky clear – what some call chamber of commerce weather.

One glance to our left and we could see all of the landmark buildings in the city as we headed north towards Fleming Island. The pace was a good and steady clip.

Joe said, that after a while, you get used to the bumps and bounces a small aircraft like his often takes. I truly thought it was because I’d gained a little weight.

From our fast-moving perch, I could identify Thunderbolt Elementary School, and other landmarks. Yet each time I saw a pine, I couldn’t help but think how this county is about to experience tremendous change.

I saw U.S. Highway 17 and reveled in how it looked like a ribbon with a green stripe down the middle as I viewed it from above and how it has grown over the years from a two-lane road to the six-lane thoroughfare it is today. That road is another visible result of how growth changes not only the look, but the attitude of a community.

I also thought about Thunderbolt and how Fleming Island’s growth in the 1990s exploded to a point the island grew to need three elementary schools.

From my perch I could also see acres and acres of cleared pine stands that are getting ready to make way for new housing developments and even more are coming. And with them, come new schools and new roads.

And yet, more growth is coming. The question now becomes, how are you going to get involved to have a genuine conversation about how things such as roads and schools get properly funded in the coming years? Will it be a discussion in Tallahassee, Green Cove Springs or Fleming Island?

Either way, those conversations just may take away some anxiety that might appear on some faces.