What is it with boys and airplanes? It's actually most things that move, but there's a special love for airplanes in our little man's heart. His father is a pilot, so I guess he comes by it honestly. I swear we aren't even brainwashing our guy to love airplanes. He just does. For many months now, he has pointed to every single plane he spots overhead. He doesn't even need to see them. Just the sound of jet engines triggers him to look skyward. It's a fun thing to see your little one drawn to something that catches their fancy. Airplanes it is!
There's something fascinating about watching a giant metal bird soar through the open blue sky! I love birds of a feather, and my husband and son gravitate towards the metal ones. I'm still working on teaching our one year old a love for feather birds too. I need a birdwatching sidekick, you know.
What is it about these man made metal birds that keeps us interested? They're piloted by humans. That's a start. Many people dream of flying an airplane but never do. Some, that would be me, prefer sitting in a seat while a trained pilot does the job. Then there are those who actually do fly these crazy contraptions that seem to defy gravity each time they take flight. There's also the people who are amazed/frightened by the fact that anyone would set foot aboard a plane let alone do it themselves. Airplanes are cool. Plain and simple.
Fighter jets are a whole different animal. They maneuver like nothing you've seen. I think they fly more like birds than many of the other planes out there. Up, down, breaking away, almost vertical climbs. If you've ever been to an airshow you might have seen something like that. One day I'm sure we'll take our little guy to an airshow. I hope he's still in love with airplanes then, because I can't wait to see him stare in amazement.
My grandpa, who Chase unfortunately never got to meet, had his private pilot's license before he could drive a car. Although there are many, it's one of my favorite stories about him. He knew everything there was to know about all the older airplanes out there. There were times when his memory would just blow you away. This airplane had a fill-in-the-blank horsepower engine. That airplane flew in this-or-that war. I hope to pass on some of my grandpa's stories to our son. Maybe one day he'll understand that kind of passion for flying.
I wonder what a one year old imagines when they see an airplane flying through the sky. One may never know, but it sure is fun to see a smiling face. After three trips by airplane, I'm sure our little guy won't remember a single one of them. We'll have pictures to prove it though. He shouted plenty of "wow's" and made lots of jet engine sounds while taking off down the runway. One day he'll understand the physics behind an airplane's flight, and I hope he'll still be amazed.
If it wasn't 100 degrees when we visited the airport, we might have stayed all day. All I know is that if our boy gets excited by spotting an airplane soaring above, then we'll have many more trips to the airport in our near future. Heck, we'll probably go watch planes even if our one year old tires of it.
