Imagine my excitement when I was asked if I wanted an opportunity to fly the plane in voice activation mode! Not only was I amazed with the view from inside the Grand Canyon, I would be able to see everything as if I was sitting in the cockpit at the controls myself! “Turn right” and the plane veered to the right, “turn left” and left we went, “up” a bit of upward movement “down” and down we went, “level straight” and we leveled.
Here I was cheesing like a Cheshire cat, proud that Senior Airman Nyri Hylton Rhodes was given the opportunity to fly a damm plane inside the wonder of all wonders of the world! You couldn’t tell me shit, and I sat myself down and continued to watch in amazement as the landscape changed and we began to leave the canyon and inched closer back to Mississippi.
Months later I learned the joke was on me (which was frequent) because I was arguing about a C-21 Learjet being the best because it was voice activated. Only to look over and see the pilot on the flight radio laughing because he had been a witness to me foolishly yelling “turn left, turn right, up, down, smiling in amazement that I was allowed to fly the plane!!!! I’m sure they never thought that would come up again but it did, and Nyri was defending her stance!
Truth is, the pilot was moving the controls with his legs, and I was so focused at the view in front of me and making sure my “voice” was heard, I never noticed! Moments like these made my time as a 1COX2 more than memorable 😂
Aim High!
Airman Nyri Hylton Rhodes
The Unnerved Traveler 