Yes, you read that right. Helicopter flying lessons. I did it. Well, only one to be precise. And it only lasted 15 minutes. But it was definitely one of the exciting 15 minutes of my life.

But let me back up a bit. About a week before my birthday back in May, my dad called me up to see if I would be interested in taking a helicopter flying lesson. Apparently my mom had bought the experience for him and my brother for their birthdays, but the coupons were about to expire and my brother couldn’t make it. Heck yes I’m interested!

That’s how I found myself at Boeing Field on Memorial Day, waiting for my chance to pilot a helicopter. Before we can even step outside, we have a bunch of paperwork to fill out and a safety briefing to go through.

Our instructor explains to us the different components of the helicopter while he checks that everything is working correctly, doing is pre-flight safety check.

My dad thinks he’s pretty cool.

He’s enlisted to help push the copter to the launch pad. He makes it look easy.

There they go! I can only imagine what’s happening inside.

They’re quickly out of site and my mom and I play the “What do you think they’re doing now?” and “How many questions do you think Dad has asked the pilot?” games. My dad likes to talk.

After a surprisingly short time, we here the blades slicing through the air followed by the helicopter coming around the building. They look like they’re both in one piece!

He doesn’t say too much about it except that it was really cool, not wanting to spoil it for me.

Finally it’s my turn!

As long as I’m not doing the actual flying, I can take all the pictures I want. They tend to frown on distractions when you’re in control of a big flying machine though. Weird.

I’m totally intimidated by all the controls. Thank goodness I don’t have to understand what they do.

And we’re off! I’m so excited! The pilot is in charge for take off and landing, which is good because it’s definitely beyond my capabilities.

I make sure to soak up as much of the scenery as I can. I mean, how beautiful is this place?! I’m not sure I can love my home more than I already do.

After we’re clear of the airport, I take over. The instructor has his hands mere centimeters away from the joystick, ready to make any corrections. I’m glad it’s not totally up to me, but the fact that I’m actually steering is kind of surreal. He has me do a 360 degree right-hand turn, a 270 degree left-hand turn, ascend and descend, then serpentine back towards the airport. It takes surprisingly small movements to make the turns, and my arm is so tired from the strength it requires. When we get close, he takes over again and I release the tension I’ve been holding. I did it!

The flight back is just as beautiful, with Seattle and Mt Rainier in the background.

As we walk back to the office, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. Did I really just do that?

Back inside our instructor explains the requirements for getting certified. It’s a lot of work, a lot of logged flying hours and a lot of years before you make a living wage. If I were back in college though, I would absolutely consider this as a career path. But for now I’m satisfied with my 15 minutes of fame as a pilot.