Forget the usual Friday afternoon of nodding off on the couch. On Friday, Nov. 2, two Meadowlark Hills residents took a special trip around town. Or should I say, above town?

Thanks to Sherry Smith and her husband Gordon Smith, owner of Heartland Aviation, residents of Lyle and Sloan Houses found themselves aboard a small aircraft for an afternoon getaway. Merle Schmidt and Bea Mullin both seemed pleased to have had this opportunity.

Bea explained that this was the first time she had flown in a small aircraft. When asked if it was scary, she stated, “No, it was peaceful.” She would love to go again, but next time she wants to bring along Mindy, her loyal Papillion puppy. If you know Bea very well, you know that she doesn’t go many places without Mindy.

While working at Meadowlark Hills, Sherry met Merle and his love for the air became a topic of conversation. Merle said, “People in aviation just seem to just find each other. That is how Sherry and I became friends.”

Merle had taken flying lessons in his younger years. Just as he was preparing to take his pilot’s exam, Merle suffered a stroke that prevented him from ever flying solo again.

Flying seems natural for Merle. He actually took the co-pilot controls and flew for a bit. Merle recalled, “The wheel felt heavier than I remember.” Merle was accustomed to flying a Piper Aircraft instead of the Cessna model. Merle had thought back to the last time he had been in a plane. “It must have been over 10 years ago,” he said. When asked what is the hardest thing about flying a plane, he confessed, “Climbing in that thing!”