This is my most memorable small plane: Diamond DA20. A few years ago, Irene gave me a fantastic birthday present: an opportunity to pilot a small trainer plane (this one) and fly over Cleveland. Prior to that, I only piloted an imaginary fixed-wing aircraft offered by the Microsoft Flight Simulator. But this time, the flight and the airplane were real.
After the instructor took off and set the plane on a straight flight path, we were flying over the eastern suburbs of Cleveland along the Lake Erie shoreline. Being inside this Diamond DA20 two-seater airplane was an awesome experience. The plane was so tiny, and the top, front, and sides of the canopy were made of clear plexiglass, so you feel like a bird!
After making a smooth U-turn, I set the coarse back towards the Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland Ohio. Located at the northern shore of Lake Erie, this small public airport was designated by FAA as a reliever for the main Greater Cleveland hub, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Burke is also home to several (currently 3) flight schools.
I took this photo while piloting the tiny my (if only for an hour) Diamond DA20 two-seater airplane along the shores of Lake Erie. When flying in a straight line, there isn’t much to do, so I had a chance to snap a photo of the airport from the air.
Then, before landing, the instructor took back the controls and did all the work returning us back safely to the runway.
After a flawless touchdown, we taxied back to the flight club. No, it was not me who landed this beautiful bird. I only piloted it along the Lake Erie shoreline. The instructor did the taking-off and the landing. Which was a good thing: as I mentioned in the beginning, up to that point, I only landed airplanes of my Microsoft Flight Simulator, and even that was not a total success every time. By the way, if you are not a native Clevelander, you will be happy to know, that in front of the cockpit canopy you see Cleveland downtown.
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Alex Shaland Books 