Page 189 - Never Fly Solo

162 | NEVER FLY SOLO
feet of the runway . . . just like I chair flew. I had never flown
this well before. If Captain Massarella were with me now,
man, would he be impressed!
I flew around four touch-and-gos, landed, and taxied
back to the hangar, where I was greeted by a very pleased
instructor.
“Amazing job, Waldo—I knew you could do it!” he
yelled. A great bear hug followed.

U U U

That initial solo flight in the clunky old Cessna was probably
the most exciting moment of my eleven-year flying career.
Yes, I was flying by myself. But I wasn’t flying solo. Captain
Massarella was up there with me.
Looking back, I realized that the toughest part of going
solo was not the flying—it was having the courage to release
those brakes and take off. Once I did, my training took over
and my fear dissipated. I became absorbed in the moment,
freed of all extraneous obstacles, and engaged in the process
of flying—I was fully present. I was alive.
If it were up to me, I would have never taken off. But
Captain Massarella gave me wings to fly.
Many of us have an intense desire to take bold new action
in our lives but never do for fear of failure. We are essentially
pouring on the power with the brakes still applied. Con-
sciously or subconsciously, we sabotage our success by living
life with our foot on the brakes.
Releasing those brakes and simply going for it is how we
grow in our personal and professional relationships. Captain
Massarella, in his quirky, obnoxious, but loving manner, made