Cruising at 30 feet above the water and 90 mph…chasing the sun
The last of the warm late evening sun is slowly dropping below the horizon leaving the clouds a pinkish hue as the water turns to a darker shade of grey; changes that are happening quite quickly at these latitudes. My Supercub knows neither day nor night, it only knows that it is flying–and flying is where we both prefer to be.
We skim along thirty feet above the lakes surface at a brisk ninety mph heading nowhere in particular, only chasing the quickly disappearing dark red sun on its journey to far away places. For now the sun is rising even while setting. The Green Cub and I may be witnessing a beautiful sunset here in the forests of central Maine but those in India or surrounding areas may very well be witnessing a just as beautiful sunrise–the sun waits for no man as it appears to continually move through our sky.
The engine drums along rhythmically leaving my mind to wander amongst fleeting random thoughts while my right hand holds the craft steady on a westerly course…a course that I know will have to change soon due to the rapidly advancing darkness and the inevitable landing that will come. My left hand rest easily on the throttle, it’s not really doing anything other than guarding it should a quick adjustment be needed in power. But no quick adjustments are currently needed, the airplane is in a state of equilibrium with all forces being equal and with the evenings smooth air it feels as mundane as sitting in your recliner at home. However be aware! This really isn’t mundane by any stretch of the imagination, this is a breathing, living machine less than three stories above the dark waters of the lake moving at one hundred and thirty-two feet per second…one must pay attention even when the mind wanders.
Although the landing is only minutes away, it is in the future and not a priority; for now all I want to do is enjoy every second of this flight. For now I just want to feel the gentle pitching and rolling of the plane as we traverse the regions between the loosely scattered islands, I want to see the pink fade to orange then gray and black before my very eyes. I want to savor every second of this flight for I know I will remember this ’till my dying days, I will look back when I’m eight-five and recall the feelings, the sights and the smells.
I won’t change course just yet…three or four minutes maybe, but not just yet. Right now I’m content sailing along effortlessly chasing the rapidly setting sun in the west. Of course I will never catch the glorious sun, she’s moving at twelve miles every second! Given her speed and the speed of the Cub I’d say we will see darkness long before I get near the approaching mountains just miles before us.
With that thought I ease the stick to the right with my hand and feel the plane respond immediately as she banks smoothly finally settling on a southeasterly course. My home base is only minutes away but already I can feel the yearning set in as I know this flight is drawing to an end. Already I know this feeling of contentment I have, these sounds I hear, this view I have, these sensations I’m feeling are drawing to an end and this will be just another line in the logbook–except it won’t. I’ve recorded this short flight in writing as you, dear reader, can testify. I will at the very least have words I can return to when I want to relive this flight! It is forever locked in my memory and can be relived at a moments notice by reading these very words…
Green Supercub Adventures 