Well after getting weathered out on my first try at a discovery flight (short 1/2 hr. flights to see if you like it) we left that Friday for Florida and a week of relaxing in the sun. Toward the end of the week Donna was going shopping with her Mom and sister and seeing as how I had the rental car I figured I would take a ride over to the local airport. I pulled in to the parking lot of the Punta Gorda airport and went inside. The place was nice and so were the people. I got talking to the one instructor (Zack) and he gave me some old magazines to take home to read. After about a half hour I got the nerve up to ask him if someone could take me up for a flight. He said they were booked all day but he had an opening for Saturday at 1 o’clock. Well the scared side said super, you can go back to the condo and cancel in the morning. The other side was disappointed. I hung around and talked a while longer and was about to leave when the instructor got a phone call. So I waited to say goodbye and thank him. When he got off the phone he says to me” today is your lucky day, I just had a cancellation and I can take you up right now”. Whoa baby what a shock. Now I had to make the big decision. I somehow found the courage to say ok and out we went to the plane. I started to head for the passenger side but he said no you get in the pilots side. So I got in and he showed me how to fasten the seat belt and shoulder harness and I got one side screaming get out while you can and the other side just as excited as can be. Well the excited side won out and next thing I know the engine is running and he has me taxing the plane to the end of the runway to take off. When you taxi you use your rudder pedals and nothing else. Turning the yoke does nothing as far as steering. Well I went from one side of the taxiway to the other trying to keep this thing going straight the whole time wanting to turn right around and get out. We finally made it to the end of the runway where we were going to take off and he showed me the preflight checklist and he then proceeded to ease the throttle to full power and down the runway we went. I had a death grip on the yoke (I was supposed to follow along with him) so tight that my knuckles were white and I was so scared I wanted to scream for him to take me back so I could get out. He must have seen or felt how tight I was holding the yoke because he said to me to relax and take the controls. I looked at him like he had four heads and told him no way was I flying this airplane. He laughed and let go of the yoke and said it’s my plane. So in that span of about 15 seconds I went from being totally scared to being forever hooked on flying airplanes. We flew around for my half hour and then he took the controls to land the airplane but he had me follow along with him with my feet on the rudder pedals and my hands on the yoke. The view was beautiful and the ride was super smooth and I couldn’t wait to go up again. For me that was the highlight of the vacation and I couldn’t wait to get home to find a place to learn to fly.