4 FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2019 Madeline compares gliding to floating. “It’s so silent and calm and relax- ing,” being up in the Schweitzer 2-33 glider. When she was permitted to choose a passenger, her younger brother Jeremie had the exciting op- portunity to accompany her. “He loved it,” Madeline said. Her mother Suzanne was a bit nervous about her young daughter operating a glider. “It was nerve-wracking to think of my child flying a plane without an engine,” she said. But both Suzanne (a French Immersion teacher) and her husband Jeff (a pharmacist) have fully supported and encouraged Madeline to pursue her goals. Last summer, Madeline received her private pilot license in Gander, Newfoundland. She completed her power plane training there on a Cessna 152, two-seater. Out of Oshawa, she has been flying a Cessna 172 S, four- seater. Operating an airplane is “very procedural,” she said. There’s a checklist to follow, and manoeuvres to practice, including how to recover from a stall or a spin. Her first solo flight was “more of a rite of passage – just a single circuit loop around the airport.” “I was more nervous for my first solo flight in the glider than in the power plane,” she admitted. “Your heart is racing but you have to keep your wits about you and remember everything you have learned.” Operating an aircraft requires ex- cellent hand and foot coordination, plus mental acuity and a good sense of spatial awareness, she says. “Power planes are much louder than gliders. It’s a whole different experience.” Visiting aviation museums is one of her favourite pastimes. There’s “an incredible” museum in Ottawa, where there are planes from the beginning of flight to modern times, and a Avro Arrow cockpit.” She highly recommends going to Vintage Wings in Gatineau, where you will see restored and functioning old Golden Hawks, Spitfires, Mustangs and more, which are sometimes used for special events. Madeline had “so much fun” with her squadron in Madeline, back row, fifth from left, shown with her graduating class of the east coast air cadet powered course of 2018, Gander, Newfoundland. Up Up and Away (continued from page 3) Blinds - Draperies - Shutters - Shades Great Selection - Stylish Colours Superior Service - Satisfaction Guaranteed! Superior Service - Satisfaction Guaranteed! A style for every point of view. Joe & Cathy Gibson, Blackstock 905-213-2583 www.budgetblinds.com/portperry Free In-Home Consultation There are many reasons you’ll Budget Blinds!