by Heather McDonald

寒星 譯

不惑之年，沖上云霄

At 43, I Learned How to Fly

by Heather McDonald

寒星 譯

Parked beside the1)sleek Air Canada jet, she looked like a toy. But my enthusiasm would not be curbed.

The tiny two-seat2)Cessna shone in the sun. And for one hour she was mine. Well, sort of. The bill was mine alone. Control and responsibility for my first flight lesson would be shared with my instructor, Glen.

I’d enrolled in3)ground school last winter, and by spring had4)morphed into a plane geek. I struck a deal with myself: 100 hours of ground school and online study would be rewarded in summer with one hour of shockingly expensive infight instruction.

?？吭谠煨蛢?yōu)美的加拿大航空公司的噴氣式飛機旁邊，她就像一個玩具。然而我的熱情，絲毫不減。

這架嬌小的雙人賽斯納飛機在陽光下閃耀著光芒。接下來的一個小時，她是屬于我的。好吧，在某種意義上屬于我。我獨力負責買單。而我第一堂課的飛行操控及責任則是由我和指導員格蘭共同承擔。

去年冬天，我入讀空勤預備學校，到了春天，我就儼然一名飛機控。我和自己打了個賭：攢足100小時的空勤學習和網(wǎng)上研修之后，夏天時要獎勵自己一小時貴得讓人咋舌的飛行訓練。

So, there I stood on the Kamloops5)tarmac.

于是，我站在了甘露機場的停機坪上。

Our pre-fight inspection indicated the bird should fy.6)To my untrained eye, the weather seemed fine. “Nice today,” I offered.

我們的飛行前檢查意味著這只鳥兒要展翅高飛了。對于外行的我來說，天氣似乎不錯。“今天天氣真好，”我說。

Glen eyed the7)wind sock and scanned the skies. “Wind from 270 at 108)knots; cloud ceiling 6,500. …Should be okay in the valley, but we’ll stay away from the mountains.”

格蘭看了看風向袋，向天空掃視了一眼?！帮L速大概是每十節(jié)270公里；云層高度6500千米。……在山谷里飛還行，但是我們今天不會飛到山峰那邊?！?/p>

I made a mental note to review my9)meteorology.

我在腦中記下筆記，復習學過的氣象學知識。

After squeezing into the teeny10)cockpit, we buckled up. Uh oh—trouble already. My eyes were perfectly level with the instrument panel. I cursed my 5-foot-1-inch frame while Glen reached behind the seat and produced a pillow. Sliding it under my butt, I felt more like a grandma than ever. But at least I could see out the window.

我們擠進狹小的駕駛員座位，系好安全帶。哎呀—麻煩來了。我的眼睛正好與儀表板持平。當我在詛咒自己這五英尺一英寸（約1.55米）的身高時，格蘭從座位后面抽出一個枕頭。我把枕頭塞到屁股下面，從未感覺自己如此像一個老太太。不過至少，我能看到窗外的情況了。

The engines were run up and tested, the compass11)aligned, the GPS turned on and tuned in and radios readied. It was time to warn whoever was out there that we were coming. I keyed the mike.

啟動并測試引擎，羅盤已經(jīng)校正，衛(wèi)星導航已打開并調(diào)好，無線電準備就緒。是時候警示附近的人我們準備起飛了。我調(diào)好麥克風的音量。

I spelled out the Cessna’s FBMZ registration—12)Foxtrot Bravo Mike13)Zulu—and requested an advisory. The tower responded immediately and my confidence surged. Current wind conditions and altimeter settings were given, and runway 26 suggested for departure.

我念出這架賽斯納飛機的登記號—F、B、M、Z—并要求信息導報。發(fā)射塔立刻給予回復，我的信心倍增。發(fā)射塔提供了現(xiàn)時風速情況及高度表撥定值，并指示我們從26號跑道起飛。

Glen released the brakes and eased the14)throttle in. The engine purred hungrily, sucking up the extra fuel. The propeller spun into a blur and pulled us forward.

格蘭松開手剎，慢慢推進油門桿。引擎饑渴地咕嚕嚕響，貪婪地吸食著燃料。螺旋槳旋轉(zhuǎn)著，模糊成一個影子，帶動我們向前。

“Take us to 26,” Glen directed.

“帶我們?nèi)?6號跑道，”格蘭指示道。

1) sleek [sli?k] adj. 光滑的，線條優(yōu)美的

2) Cessna 賽斯納飛機。美國賽斯納飛機公司成立于1927年，是世界上設計與制造輕型、中型商務飛機、渦輪螺旋槳飛機，以及單發(fā)活塞式發(fā)動機飛機的主要廠商

3) ground school 空勤預備學校

4) morph [m??f] v. 改變

5) tarmac [?ta?m?k] n. 柏油碎石路面（尤指飛機跑道）

6) to one’s (the) untrained eye 對不知情的人而言，對外行人來說

7) wind sock 風向袋，用于指示風向，提供風速參考

8) knot [n?t] n. 節(jié)（航速和風速單位），1節(jié)等于1海里/時，即1.852千米/時

9) meteorology [?mi?t???r?l?g?] n. 氣象狀態(tài)，氣象學

10) cockpit [?k?kp?t] n. 駕駛員座艙

11) align [??la?n] v. 對齊，匹配

12) Foxtrot [?f?str?t] n. 通訊中用以代表字母“f”的詞

13) Zulu [?z?l?] n. 祖魯語，祖魯人，這里是通訊中用以代表字母“z”的詞

14) throttle [?θr?t?l] n. （機動車、飛機的）節(jié)流閥，油門桿

I turned the15)yoke left and right to no effect. We drifted onto the grass.

我左右轉(zhuǎn)動著軛架，未見有任何反應。我們滑到了草地上。

“Steer with your feet; use the rudder.”

“用雙腳來導向；用方向舵。”

Fighting years of automobile-induced instincts, I released the yoke and16)manoeuvred with the rudder pedals at my feet. We weaved unsteadily to the hold short point on the runway.

我努力對抗著多年的駕車本能，放松軛架，用雙腳操作著方向舵踏板。我們迂回不穩(wěn)地來到跑道的暫停點。

Full power and a dose of flaps are needed for takeoff. I applied both and we sped down the runway. With one eye on the17)airspeed indicator and the other on the white centre line, I struggled to keep us straight, both of my feet working the pedals. At full throttle we hit the 55-knot18)sweet spot and I pulled back on the yoke, lifting the nose. The Cessna (and I) shuddered as the runway slipped away below.

起飛之前需要開足馬力及扇動飛機的副翼。我做了這兩個操作，我們沿跑道飛馳。我一只眼睛看著航速表，另一只眼睛看著跑道上白色的中間線，努力讓飛機沿直線滑動，我的雙腳都在操作著踏板。滿油門時我們達到了55節(jié)的最有效點，我拉回軛架，抬起機頭。賽斯納（和我）顫抖著飛離了跑道。

We climbed steadily into the blue.19)Wisps of cottony clouds rose beside us.20)Stratocumulus? I’d have to check my notes. For now, however, whirring, purring FBMZ had my full attention.

我們穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地朝著藍天爬升。一縷縷棉花似的云在我們旁邊升起。這是層積云嗎？我得翻一翻筆記。然而現(xiàn)在，旋轉(zhuǎn)著，咕嚕叫著，F(xiàn)BMZ這架飛機霸占了我所有的注意力。

My heart soared, but my arms soon tired from pulling back on the yoke. Glen seemed to read my mind. He reached down and rotated the trim wheel between us. The pressure vanished, and the Cessna stopped fghting me.

我的心已高飛，但是沒過多久我的手臂就因為拉著軛架而感到疲勞了。格蘭似乎讀懂了我的心。他伸出手旋轉(zhuǎn)著我們中間的操縱舵。壓力消失，賽斯納不再與我對抗。

“It’s like21)cruise control,” he grinned. “Trim her right and she’ll practically fy herself.”

“這跟定速巡航一樣，”他笑著說?！岸嬲坪昧?，她就會自己飛了。”

I released my death grip on the control column and was amazed at how responsive the plane was to even the smallest adjustments. I struggled to make sense of what the instrument panel was telling me. Our altimeter indicated 3,900 feet and our airspeed was steady at 90 knots. No turning or vertical speed was suggested, so this must be straight and level fight.

我放松死抓著的操控桿，對飛機在每一細微調(diào)整之下作出的回應嘖嘖稱奇。我試著解讀儀表板給我展示的信息。我們的高度讀數(shù)是海拔3900英尺，航速為90節(jié)勻速。沒有轉(zhuǎn)彎或者垂直速度的提示，因此，這一定是水平直飛。

“Try a turn,” Glen suggested.

“試試轉(zhuǎn)彎吧，”格蘭提議道。

As I rotated the yoke to the right, the wings banked and we headed unsteadily northward. Dual controls allowed Glen to correct my mistakes and keep us safe.

隨著我把軛架往右邊旋轉(zhuǎn)，飛機的機翼傾斜轉(zhuǎn)彎，我們不太穩(wěn)定地朝北邊飛去。雙人操控時，格蘭可以更正我的錯誤，讓我們安全地飛行。

My gaze kept drifting back to the instrument panel, and Glen caught it.

我總?cè)滩蛔⊥騼x表板，格蘭發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一點。

“Private pilot’s license allows you to fly22)VFR. Remember what that stands for?”

“私人飛行員駕照允許你以VFR飛行。還記得VFR是什么意思嗎？”

“Visual fight rules,” I replied.

“目視飛行規(guī)則，”我回答說。

“So, look where you’re going. Your focus should be outside. Where are the clouds? Make sure you stay out of them. Which direction are the mountains?”

“那么，看看你正往哪兒飛吧。你的注意力應該在外面。云層在哪里？確保你不會飛進云層里。山在哪個方向？”

And the23)mantra I’d heard before was repeated:“Aviate, navigate, communicate.” In other words, frst fy the plane.

我重復讀著之前聽到過的準則：“飛行，導航，通信?！睋Q句話說，首先考慮如何開飛機。

The wind was behind us now, pushing us back to the airport. We made the necessary radio call and began our descent. Keeping my eyes outside as instructed, I watched a pair of hawks riding the same thermals that were giving us a bit of24)bump and grind. They eyed us warily, unimpressed with our noisy intrusion into their world.

現(xiàn)在，風在我們的身后，推著我們飛向機場。我們發(fā)出了必要的無線電呼叫，準備降落。我雙眼注視著機外環(huán)境，就像格蘭指導的那樣，我看見兩只鷹隨著上升的暖流滑翔，這股暖流同時也給我們帶來一些顛簸推撞。它們警惕地看著我們，對我們給它們那世界帶來的嘈雜侵犯不為所動。

Glen handled the landing. After slowing to stalling speed, we foated above the runway. Our touchdown was smooth as silk.

格蘭負責降落。在減慢至失速速度后，我們在跑道上飄浮了一會兒。飛機觸地時順滑得像絲綢一樣。

After we’d parked, tied down and locked up the plane for the night, I made the frst entry in my fancy new pilot logbook, bursting with pride.

我們停靠、綁穩(wěn)并鎖好飛機以便過夜，之后我在我那本想象中的飛行日志上寫下第一條記錄，洋溢著自豪。

Now it’s time to hit the books again. Meteorology must be mastered if this old dog is going to learn new fying tricks.

現(xiàn)在，又到了好好學習的時候了。如果這個老家伙想學習點新的飛行技巧，他就得好好掌握氣象學了。

I had my doubts about learning to fy at the age of 43, but after taking the frst steps I know I can do it.

43歲才來學習飛行，我曾一度懷疑自己，然而在初次試飛之后，我知道我能行。

“Attitude plus power equals performance” is a phrase used to explain how an aircraft handles under different25)scenarios.

“態(tài)度加上馬力等于表現(xiàn)”是一句用來描述一架飛機如何應對不同飛行情況的短語。

Perhaps the same can be said of life, and, regardless of our age or situation, how we choose to live it.

也許這一句話也適用于生活，以及我們?nèi)绾芜x擇過自己的人生，不管我們是什么年齡、在何種處境。

15) yoke [j??k] n. 軛

16) manoeuvre [m??nu?v?] v. 操控

17) airspeed indicator 空速指示儀，航速表

18) sweet spot 最有效點

19) wisp [w?sp] n. （煙、云等的）一縷

20) stratocumulus [?str?t???kju?mj?l?s] n. 層積云

21) cruise control 定速巡航

22) VFR abbr. visual flight rules，目視飛行規(guī)則， 在目視氣象條件下實施飛行管理程序的有關規(guī)則

23) mantra [?m?ntr?] n. 準則

24) bump and grind 迂回曲折

25) scenario [s??ner???] n. 可能的情況