To The Sky - Owl City

Hi, welcome to Flight 201: Learning How to Fly! ^_^

I’m Kandi and I will be your flight instructor today. Never mind that I don’t have wings, I know what I’m doing.

For starters, you’re going to want to stretch. Stand up straight and slowly extend your wings. Follow the way I stretch my arms: slowly bring them up so they’re parallel with the floor, keep going so they’re in the air, try to go a little farther so the tips touch, and finish it out by bringing them down slowly. 
Good job! You can try opening them with a quick snap like Hanna does, but she only does it for the sound effect. *whispers* I think she’s a little self-conscious about their size.

Okey-dokey. Now, open your wings and keep your elbows bent. Crouch and jump into the air. Use the momentum to propel yourself into the air and use your wings for lift. There you have it! Some of you may be experiencing difficulty getting your wings to cooperate. Try to remain calm, this is perfectly normal!

Oh, I should have probably mentioned this earlier, but the padding you were standing on earlier is actually harder on impact than it is when you’re standing on it, so try not to fall. Of course, if you do fall, don’t land on anything important like your head… or your wings… or your neck… or me. You know what, just try not to fall. 
…But if you are going to fall, now would be the time to do it. In fact, it’s perfectly all right to fall. 

Almost everyone falls the first time. Except Hanna… who fell every time in the first two weeks. Turns out she had trouble with the balance part, who knew? ^_^

Wait, what’s that? You’re in the wrong class? *flips through notebook* Oh, I see. You’re looking for Flight 101. That’s down the hall and to the right. Tell Anna I said hi and she owes me a cookie.

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There you are, I was starting to worry.

So glad you could join us.

Welcome to Flight 101: Aviation Appreciation.

 

We’ll start from the beginning. 

Take a square sheet of paper. 

Fold it in half diagonally to crease it then unfold. 

Fold the left and right edges of the paper to meet in the center crease. 

Keeping that part folded, turn the paper over and fold the left and right edges to meet in the center again. 

Fold in half lengthwise so the sharp point meets the corner on the opposite side. 

Fold the sharp point back again, somewhere between a fourth and a third of the way. 

Fold what you have in half vertically. 

Gently lift and fold the head and neck of the swan into place.

Flight is more than going up and down in a plane or following the flight pattern of a bird. It’s a journey with purpose. Once you have your destination, nothing should deter you from that goal. You can fly through sunshine and blue skies or dark clouds and rainy nights. Whether weather’s drear or crystal clear, you can get to your destination with heart and eyes set on the goal.  Make sure it’s a destination worth going to.

Now take out a regular sheet of paper and fold it lengthwise to crease then unfold. 

Fold down the top two corners so they meet in the center. 

Fold the two edges toward the center again. 


Fold what you have in half lengthwise. 


Create a wing crease that begins at the nose on both sides. 

Unfold that crease a little and you're finished. 

Bend up the tailing edge of the wings for lift if it has a tendency to nose-dive.

You have your goal, but how do you get there? 

You fly, of course. It is the most efficient way to travel. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most expensive as well. Even for those of us with wings, risk and danger are involved. However, there is also beauty, flight elevates you and not in a boastful way. Look out the window! Look at the sky! Clouds, stars, rainbows, birds, sunsets, sunrises, and the moon: all in the sky. There is freedom in flight as well, an independence from everything that brings you down. Even gravity’s load somehow seems lighter because there is a way around it. There is also camaraderie when individuals fly together in formation. So why not fly? It’s worth it. 


Take note, there is a difference between looking above and having your head in the clouds. The most notable difference is common sense. Our hearts and minds are drawn to seek for better things than this mortal world can give. Flight and looking above involve an individual responsibility to reach for these things because they are things worth reaching for. So look up. 

 

That’s the end of today’s lesson. Remember, class will be cancelled next week because I’ll be gone. While some of you will be busy practicing your fold and flight techniques, I’ll be doing a little flying of my own. Don’t forget to pick up the take home quiz as you leave. It’s on the first panel on your right at the front of the room, above the stereo.

See you next time.

Farewell and Always Hope!