Last Monday night, at a birthday party for Marc, Mirella's brother, Tama asked if I'd like to join him and Herehia and little Hauareva, (who will be 5 months old Dec. 10th) -on a trip to Raiatea. So the next morning we were on the plane. Tama is a pilot for Air Tahiti. As we were taking off I asked him if we had a good pilot. With a very concerned expression, he quickly said, "No. You should be worried." In case anyone from his company should see this...I knew he was kidding.
At one point he asked if I'd like a coffee -so I took him up on it. It's just a 30 minute flight and everyone just gets a cup of juice. I felt like a VIP...and all the more so when the flight attendant came to my seat and told me to follow her. I didn't know what she wanted at first but then quickly realized that Tama had asked if I could sit in the cockpit. She carried the coffee for me and then, when inside the cockpit, asked the pilot to hold my coffee while she adjusted the seat. I never thought a pilot would be holding my coffee for me as he is flying the plane. But, of course, to assure my fellow 65 passengers, just as there are automatic coffee makers, there are also automatic pilots.
Being in the cockpit was incredible. That is truly the best view on the plane. And when the view is Tahiti and her surrounding islands, it has to be one of the best views in the world! As I drank my coffee, the pilot and his co-pilot went over their checklist before the landing. We flew over water between two islands, Huahine and Raiatea, then did a u-turn. There before us was this incredibly blue water and a tiny little runway coming toward us. All too soon the flight was over. But I'll never forget that sight.
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