-AUTHORIZED TO REMAIN GROUNDED-

And there I was, inside the cockpit of the plane, looking at the instrument panel. And each and every word written by Richard Bach in that wonderful book "Biplane" came to mind as I sat in there! Yes, it is a privilege to have all of these indicators. Not only do they make it easier for the pilot to ensure a safe trip, but it also guarantees that, if you pay close attention to them, you will make it back to runway 19 alive and happy.

María Jesus, my fiancée, laughs at my amusement and cannot wait until we reach airspeed to take off and climb up to the sky! Santiago can be a gorgeous place if you look at it from 7500 feet above ground level. But before I actually go flying, I must take the time to inspect my aeroplane, my wings, my friend. That beatiful piece of machinery that can turn lighter than air. The usual "walk-around" procedure and we'll be up and running in no time at all. After a while I notice that, despite Maria Jeus' anxiety, I have a strange hunch about flying that day. Something is telling me to stay on the ground. And so, relying on my instict, I decide to put the flight off for a couple of days. Yes, flying is simply amusing, but as the old saying goes, "it's better to be on the ground desperately wishing that you were up in the sky, than in the sky wishing desperately that you were on the ground".

I did not fly that sunday morning, and María Jesus wanted to kill me. And I still can't figure out what was worst: having an emergency in mid-air, or having the arguement in the middle of the road. On the positive side, I lived to tell.