The Stall: Sometimes, that which stirs our greatest fears becomes the source of our most profound joy. A story of flying

摘要

WE HAVE SQUARED UP TO THE DOUBLE UNBROKEN YELLOW LINES that separate the taxiway from runway 28 at Caldwell Airport in Fairfield, New Jersey. It is my second flight lesson inside Six-Two Romeo. My instructor is Tom Fischer: shaved head, tinted specs, a fresh company polo every day. Between lessons, Tom puts out fires set by regulators, mechanics, staff instructors, student pilots, calls of nature, and the demands of lunch. And that's just what I know about. Circling his head, who knows: forecasts, fuel costs, dreams of franchises. On the ground he can seem beleaguered. He can seem harried and curt. But put him inside a plane and the man transforms into an angel of patience and calm.