Folding in Your Wings

I've spent the last 2 weeks or so trying to learn the ins and outs and generally make sense of my new position at Remos Aircraft, Rogers.  While the job is a little chaotic at the moment, what with no one really knowing what an Oelkuellerflappe is in English, or what the item number is for that size of nosegear bearing, and still through all the confusion, expecting me to make sense of the warehouse....  Even with all that around me all day, I still think it's pretty stinkin' awesome to be surrounded by cool little airplanes all day! It kinda makes all the mess a little more worth it. Just a little....  

And today I was marvelling a while over the design of the aircraft that Remos produces. There really spectacular little planes, even to my untrained eye. There small little 2 seater planes with one propeller, and even though, in all honesty, they look kind wimpy, they are perfectly airworthy!  But the particular feature that inspired me to write this blog today is that their wings fold in and make the plane compact enough to fit in the space of an average RV. So you could literally park it in your garage after a glorious day of soaring through open skies!  

...I think that most people, even if they are afraid of flying in a plane, would say on some level that they wish they could fly. (It's a spiritual kind of thing, I think.) It's not necessarily that they wish that they could fly an actual plane, or in some fantasy land actually physically fly themselves like a superhero can, although things like that may actually be a secret desire. But I think what they really mean is that they wish they could let their souls fly. And I realize that that's kind of a silly, cliche thing to say, but as silly as it sounds, I think we all want to, at some point, do just that- Let our souls fly! "Be free," if you will.  Let your dreams be your drive and throw caution to the wind. You get the picture. And I personally am a believer in that. I believe that we shouldn't be so afraid to dream, take flight. I don't think that practicality is always the best route. I don't buy the notion that when it comes to decisions one should always use their head first and only. I believe that gut feelings, inner longings, and split second decisions have their place in our lives. I believe that we should all learn to fly. 

However, I don't think that we should be flying all the time. Seventy five percent of a plane's life, after all, is spent on the ground. And in the case of Remos planes, with their wings safely tucked in as well. I've observed that there seems to be some sort of draw to "free spirits" amongst us. They seem so worry-free and content, as if there are no troubles in the world, and if anyone were to say "Nay!" a dictionary would need to be utilized, because no such word exists in a free spirit's vocabulary. And while I stand by my previous statements in the favor of the flight of soul, I also think that being such a free spirit that your feet never know ground isn't exactly as enchanting and nostalgic as it's painted. I would imagine that it's a rather unfulfilling existence to be constantly in the clouds. With no point of reference to speak of.  Never having a destination or direction. How happy could one be, I wonder? Well, not even happy, really, but......balanced? When you think about it, flight really only has true purpose when it's a means of landing somewhere. Even if it's the same place it took off from. A plane cannot fly indefinitely- It MUST land. Or crash. I think the same goes for our spirits. It's a wonderful thing to take flight. It's liberating. It's refreshing. It's fun! But if it's all we ever do, how will we realize exactly how great it is, unless we spend some time on the ground? 

So, this is what I say~  Go learn to fly. Go and let yourself take off into the big open sky and really soar. Do barrel rolls for all I care! But don't forget that there's a safe hangar waiting for you somewhere. While you're flying, keep an eye on the horizon and check the fuel gauge every now and again. Then, land somewhere safely. Take some time to rest and refuel. Fold in your wings and be home for awhile.  There will always be another day to fly again.