**Writings is a series of posts, as we close out 2017, featuring work by the teen writers participating in our Teen Day program. **
Childhood Memory
I’m around 8 right now, and I am in my grandfather’s airplane. It’s a nice sunny day, not many clouds. I am getting a wonderful view by looking out the window at Vermont. Everything looks so tiny. The green trees, the houses, the cars. It makes me feel like I am the ruler of the world. My brother is sitting next to me also looking out the window. I watch as we fly around, admiring it the whole time.
It comes time to turn around and my grandpa turns to me and says, “Would you like to fly the plane?”
“Yes!” I reply, practically jumping out of my seat with excitement. I climb over into the passenger seat. Before I get started, Grandpa tells me that I can only touch the steering wheel, and I can only move it a little bit to keep it steady. I nod my head since I know that this is expensive and one wrong move and I can crash it. Then he puts the headset on me and shows me how to talk to him through it.
The feeling when Grandpa put it on was awe. I couldn’t believe I was about to fly an airplane. Then he tells me through the headset that I can take a hold of the wheel. Trying not to let my excitement overcome my focus, I grab it.
And then I begin to fly.
I have been steering the plane for a while, my Grandpa occasionally adjusts it when I turn it a little too far to one side. I sit there, feeling ecstatic and relaxed as we head back towards the airport, where my parents and my Grandma wait.
We get close enough that I can see the airport and then Grandpa asks that I leave the passenger seat and sit in the back so I don’t mess up the landing and him talking to air traffic control. I sit back, still really happy that I got to fly the plane.
We land safely on the runway and Grandpa moves the plane to where it needs to be and then we get out. I run to the lobby, where my parents and Grandma are waiting since I cannot wait to tell them what I got to do.
—Riley Knapp
TEEN DAY Ithaca 