Flying Over the Finger Lakes

I’m a pretty adventurous traveler. I’m willing to do just about anything once. But I’m not a good flyer. To me, flying (unlike cruising or a good road trip) is a means to an end: a plane gets me to my destination so I can explore & enjoy. So when the nice people at the Corning & the Finger Lakes Tourism Board asked if B & I wanted to take a tour of the region in a four-seater plane, I hesitated for a moment. Actually, more than a moment. My exact words were “Sure… but I’m kind of terrified.”

Fast forward a few weeks & we arrived in the Finger Lakes, blissfully happy to be on our little weekend getaway. After stopping in Corning for lunch & a beer, we pulled into the Corning-Painted Post Airport for our plane ride with Costa Flying Service. B was giddy with excitement, but my stomach was in my throat. ‘Should have had something stronger than a beer at lunch,’ I thought.

Joe Costa came out to greet us. Wearing khaki pants, a baseball cap & a “Maui” sweatshirt, he looked exactly like the kind of guy you’d want flying your four-seater tour plane. Laid back. Comfortable in his own skin. We walked out to the plane & he warned us, “It’s kind of windy today.” Yeah, I know, I acknowledged. He offered to cancel the trip, but in the moment it felt wussy to do so. Into the plane (edited: I have since learned it’s actually a Cessna 172 – but all you aviation nerds already knew that) we climbed, me in the front with Joe & B behind me.

I watched as Joe carefully went through the safety checks, reassuring myself that surely it couldn’t be too bad. “How long have you been doing this?,” I asked Joe – not in a are you qualified to do this? way, but in a making small talk way. “Oh, about three weeks.”

Ah. A wise guy.

We took off down the runway & soon we were in the air. It actually was quite smooth, a bump here or there, but nothing worse than a commercial flight. I looked out over the vast, lush green that makes up the Finger Lakes region & began to relax a little. We flew over Keuka Lake & Seneca Lake, & the towns of Corning, Watkins Glen & Hammondsport.

I was starting to think that it really wasn’t so bad – in between trying to take photos & finding something to hold on it (who knew that arm rests on planes were so useful?) – when I happened to glance behind to B & noticed the door was cracked open a little – not enough that it actually was open, but just not fully locked.

Um. That’s not good.

I tried to pull in on the handle, but couldn’t get enough leverage to pull it shut. Joe noticed after a few seconds & said “Oh, that’s not good.”

No, no it’s not.

He reached behind me & grabbed the handle, before instructing me to unlock & open the door. Thinking he was crazy, but knowing there was no alternative, I did as instructed & he slammed the door shut. I pushed down on the lock just as we hit an air pocket & dropped, my head bouncing against the padded ceiling. The whole thing happened in a matter of seconds – & we weren’t hurt from hitting our heads – but it was enough to switch my brain into ‘Must get on the ground NOW mode.’ I closed my eyes for most of the rest of the flight, while B & Joe chatted as we slowly started making our way down. As we coasted down & gently touched onto the runway (by far smoother than my last commercial landing), I said a few prayers of thanks.

“Yes, that was great!” It was great – & I might have stretched the truth a bit about how okay I was feeling about it. I had survived my first four-seater plane experience & was pretty sure it would be my last. We shook hands, posed for a photo next to his aircraft & my legs shook the entire way back to the car.

I’m brave, but maybe not that brave. Even now, writing this 10 days later, my stomach turns in knots when I think about it. I’ll stick to 737’s with a side dose of Xanax from now on. But if you’re not a wuss like me? This is an amazing experience & Joe is the consummate professional.

If you go… 

– If you’re not terrified of small planes, this is actually a really cool, well run tour. We took the Grand Lake-Keuka-Seneca tour, which lasts for about an hour.

– Joe can also do tours all the way up to Niagara Falls – if you have the stomach to ride in a small plane for 2.5 hours!

– Make sure to tip your pilot! Joe has been doing this for 30+ years & took over the business from his father.

– If you want to try it, the air is smoothest in the morning, so book a morning flight. It would be a great way to start the day!

Note: Our flight was providing by the nice folks at Corning & the Southern Finger Lakes. As always, all opinions – & fear – are my own.