>>4267320>>4267681Doing preflight as the sun fades into the evening.
Running your fingers along the wingtip in the cooling air. Feeling the rivets under your gliding fingers, the familiar dents and wear of your favorite plane. Check fuel levels and quality with the last glimmers of light. Check tire pressure. Manually wiggle the elevator, flaps, and ailerons. Everything is in order. Climb into the cockpit.
Key in the ignition and engine on. That rush of excitement when the propeller catches. Call up ground, get clearance, taxi to the runway. The centerline and the edges are three rows of light.
Throttle full open. 25, 35, 45, 55 knots, pull back gently on the yoke, and then you're aloft, the air silky smooth as you establish a climb. Looking forward and up to the twinkling sky above, choosing a star as a reference point.
Hit cruising altitude and level off. Pitch, power, trim, then you're perfectly suspended between the starry skies above and the glow of cities below.
