This week, Anne’s challenge is “Life’s Changes.” She writes, “I’ve so enjoyed sharing photos with all of you and learning about where you live and travel. Photography has brought me all this. It has enriched and changed my life… What has enriched and/or changed yours?” You can read her entire challenge post here.

I don’t usually start with a blurry photograph, but let me explain. This photo was taken by a passerby, probably in 1966 when I was 17 years old. I’m the guy in the yellow shirt hanging on to the seat for dear life. This was my first plane ride, and it was in a home-built aircraft. The ride was short, but it planted a seed.

Fast-forward to 1996. This 47-year-old would-be pilot started taking flying lessons. In July 1997, I became a licensed pilot. It wasn’t long before I began to give rides to my family and friends.

My flight instructor was a Civil Air Patrol (C-A-P) member, a private non-combatant auxiliary to the United States Air Force. I became a member in October 1997 and will continue to be a member for life. C-A-P’s three prominent roles are disaster relief, search and rescue, and cadet programs for youths 12 through 18.

I was a pilot assisting with damage assessment photography in Texas for Hurricane Harvey relief. The photo above is a quick snapshot of my flight crew getting ready for one of our photography flights.

As a photographer, I gravitated to missions focusing on aerial photography. I might be the pilot, the co-pilot, or the photographer on a flight crew. The image above is one of thousands of photos North Dakota C-A-P flight crews generated to document spring flooding along North Dakota rivers. Those photos are provided to the State of North Dakota Emergency Services teams.

Our cadet missions are mostly related to aerospace education. C-A-P provides flight orientation rides for cadets in gliders and powered aircraft. In this image, a cadet gives a “thumbs up” to show how she enjoyed her glider flight.

I spent some time in glider pilot training and eventually soloed a glider, but I preferred to fly the powered airplane that tows a glider to altitude using a long tow rope. When the glider pilot is ready, he or she releases the tow rope and the tow plane pilot returns to the airport to wait for the glider to return for a landing.

Gliders are very efficient, and a glider flight can last 30 minutes or more before the pilot is ready to land. At one point, while awaiting the glider’s return to the airport, I took a “selfie” of the tow plane. As you can see by the airspeed indicator (top left instrument) at zero, the red flag on the attitude indicator (the light blue and black instrument,) and the altimeter (immediately to the right) at zero, the tow plane’s engine is off. You can see my eyes and the cellphone reflected in the tow plane’s mirror, which is used in flight to allow the pilot to see the glider being towed.

Joining C-A-P introduced me to many colleagues who have become friends over my 28 years (so far) of membership. The photo features (Left to Right) Walt, Ken, Rusty, and Dean. Walt is a friend and a mentor who encouraged me to get involved in C-A-P leadership roles. With his encouragement, I became a unit commander for the Fargo Senior Squadron, and eventually became the Commander for the North Dakota Wing for a four-year term.

As I approached my 75th year on the planet, I decided that my reflexes are fading and the skills required for flying demand more flight time than I care to complete in a year, especially given my traveling schedule. I’ve decided to retire from my aviation avocation and to give my grandson, Owen, a taste of flying. He completed three flight lessons with a certified flight instructor. While he is not yet old enough to begin flight training as a career, my goal was to plant that seed of the joy of flight similarly to the seed planted in my teenage years.

Thanks to Anne for giving me a chance to share my thoughts on aviation, including a chance flight as a teenager that ultimately changed my life. Last week, I enjoyed all the photos focusing on your chosen words. The variety of photos was incredible, and it was fun to review all the images. Next week, Ritva hosts the challenge. Be sure to follow her here so you don’t miss her post at noon Eastern time. If you’d like to join in the challenge responses but aren’t sure how to get started, look here.

John Steiner