Horns and Wheels up: On the road with Texas Soccer
Sept. 23, 2012
NORMAN, Okla. - The greatest part about traveling by charter flight is being able to get to where we are playing next without waiting at the airport. Who doesn't want that advantage when traveling? I think this luxury allows us to be more focused and streamlines our travel time. This gives us a longer period of time to adjust in the next state we are playing in, as well as the next opponent. It's definitely a unique experience for all of us to be able to skip security lines and have our bus drive up to the entrance of the airplane. It isn't every day this happens, so we are all grateful and excited! We know we are fortunate to have the chance to take the chartered plane, especially because most schools aren't allowed this opportunity. The pilots and crew members always do so much to make us feel welcome and really important. On the flight to Oklahoma City Saturday, we had snack bags waiting for us filled with a sandwich, chips, snack mix, crackers, cheese slices, an apple plus a bottle of water and another of Gatorade. While we were in flight, once we reached the altitude where we could turn off our seatbelts and it was safe to move around, the pilot and co-pilot let us go up in the cockpit, talk with them and see out the front window. They were really nice and let us look around and see how everything worked. When I was up there, they even tilted the plane a little to let us see the inner workings. I told the pilot I hated landings and he joked around with me saying not to get mad at him because it was only his fourth landing ever. He was joking and thought it was funny; I didn't! That was the first time I'd ever been in a cockpit. It was similar to what I had imaged after watching movies, but it so much cooler in person. There are literally buttons everywhere. The pilots really rely a lot on a computer while in flight. As I was up there with them, they received a shortcut from the air traffic control tower, so they rerouted by pushing a button. I watched and felt the plane shift as a result. It was a really cool experience.
Overall, the chartered flight experience is great. As a team, we are so thankful we can get to Norman quickly and safely because we are ready to play come Sunday! |
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