Thankful to be a Teacher…….

The joy of teaching!  I’m so thankful to be able to teach, to know enough about anything that someone would want me to teach them about it!!!!  I hope and pray that through the years I have provided someone one magical moment,  they will remember forever!

I had a teacher, and instructor, and a mentor that provided me just such an experience.  John Kemmeries was my ultra light flex wing instructor.  He was one of the most capable pilots I’ve ever known.  Crippled from the waist down, the result of a parachute folding on him from a hundred feet up, crushing his legs.  That didn’t stop John, as soon as he recovered “enough” he was back in the air. John could fly a trike like no one I’ve ever seen!  John taught me to fly, and how to fly safely, but he gave me much more, he provided me “the expereince”.  It was a sunrise flight over Lake Pleasant just north of Phoenix, Arizona.  John was teaching me how to handle a plane in the air, working on my turns and approaches to the airport, and landings.  A thin layer of puffy clouds was lying in flat blanket only a thousand or so feet off the ground.  I could see the crystal clear blue sky through some of the big opening in the clouds.

My intercom cracked with John’s self assured voice, “have you ever flown above the clouds?”  I answered, “Every time I fly commercially!”  He laughed and said, “you didn’t answer my question, I said have YOU ever flown above the clouds?”  I responded, “No Sir”  He instructed me to pick a big opening and throttle up, and climb up through the opening to above the clouds.  As I started up between the clouds it was like no experience I had ever had, I was actually in between clouds, clouds I felt I could reach out and touch, but then the greatest moment of all happened!  As I broke above the clouds the early morning sun light shot through the misty clouds and hit me right in the face!  It was simply the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. I’ve used the expression breathtaking before, but this was the most breath taking thing I had ever seen,  or would ever see since!

John Kemmeries gave me that gift, a moment, a moment always and forever frozen in time.  I will never forget that moment, and I will never forget John Kemmeries.  I believe John knew exactly what he was doing.  I hope someone out there among the over 7,000 students I’ve had at workshops and events  has had just one moment so impactful.  All the travel, early rising and staying out late, would be worth it, if I could give that gift to just one other person!!!!!

So I’m thankful to be a teacher, and to even have the chance of doing for someone what John did for me.

Thanks John.

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving,

the pilgrim

What is a trike?  This is a trike, a three wheel cart with engine, suspended below a beefed up 14 meter hang gliding wing!