Last year I attended my niece’s high school graduation reception. While we were there, I was told that Jessie was learning to fly.  My aunt asked, “Where did she ever get an idea like that?”  The answer was immediately obvious to everyone there, her Grandpa.    

My 86-year-old Father grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and became the third generation of Schmitz’s to farm the land. It’s been in the Schmitz name for over 130 years.

When my father was in his early 30’s, he and his brother-in-law, Joe, decided to take flying lessons. They took a couple of lessons, loved it and quickly decided to buy an old Aeronca airplane. Dad built a hanger on the farm and a landing strip in a nearby hayfield.

Dad had many memorable adventures but his favorite story involved his sister-in-law, Lorraine. It was a warm but quiet day when Dad flew the plane to his father-in-law’s farm. He parked the plane near the farm buildings and went into the house for dinner. Unbeknownst to him, while he was eating, one of Dad’s nephews played with the controls.

During dinner, Lorraine decided she wanted to fly. My father tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. My father helped Lorraine crawl in the back of the airplane as the entire family watched with excitement. Dad cranked the propeller and much to everyone’s surprise, the plane suddenly started down the field without anyone at the controls. Lorraine’s husband and Dad chased after the plane. When they caught up to it, Dad was able to grab one of the wings, force the plane into a circle and pull down on the throttle to stop the plane. The nephew later confessed that he had pushed the throttle wide open for take off! 

Lorraine decided her flying career was over but Dad flew for many years until one day the pigs put an end to his flying career when they chewed out the bottom of the airplane.

Today, I have trouble picturing my father as a pilot, but this was one of my father’s proudest times of his life. Flying an airplane made him different from his father, who only saw the land from the ground.

In a month Jessie will be soloing in her own plane. So, where did Jessie get the idea of flying? 

Don Schmitz is a popular speaker and writer on parenting and grandparenting. He is the author of The New Face of Grandparenting…Why Parents Need Their Own Parents and founder of The Grandkidsandme Foundation and Grandparent Camps. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration and Human Development. He is the father to three sons and nine grandchildren. Contact Don@grandkidsandme.com