My First Flight By Charles Lindbergh

Airborne Adventures

As a child I dreamed of floating and flying through the air. Charles Lindbergh said, "Sometimes, flying feels too godlike to be attained by man." To me the idea of flying is ultimate freedom. With much determination and fortitude I made numerous attempts of flight by any means possible. From these experiences I learned that I should not operate with unquestioning faith, but I should genuinely explore my world, continually gain knowledge and experience, and ultimately learn wisdom.

My first serious attempt at flight was when I was 4 years old. I desperately wanted to fly, so I studied the birds, jumped and flapped my arms, but to no avail. Then one summer day I noticed that all the birds were eating grasshoppers. I now knew the secret, if I ate a grasshopper I would undoubtedly fly. I was unable to catch a grasshopper without assistance, so I enlisted the help of my father. He helped me catch the grasshopper and even showed me how to hold the back legs so I could eat it without it hopping away or kicking me, he seemed quite amused. I devoured the grasshopper in as few bites as possible, as it tasted quite horrible, and then prepared for my first flight. I sat on my swing and with the help of my father got the swing going quite high. I then jumped out of the swing and flapped my arms frantically, but found myself pummeling back to earth, only to bruise my tail bone.

Had I the true faith of a little child now, having more knowledge and experience, I could truly accomplish many more things. I was not to be put off, or my imagination quashed, I had many more years and ingenious plans for flight, everything from garbage bag parachutes, mini-catapults, and trees that