With a new Pilots License, a used four seater airplane, and a relatively newlywed wife, I was taking her on her first aviation sightseeing trip over the Oregon Cascades. On our way over to the summit of Mt Jefferson (10,497 Ft), I got the gleam in my eye. Having not tried the Mile High Club (but always wanting to!), I set up an orbit of the summit at a safe distance, and at 11,000 feet to stay above the two mile mark. It wasn’t long before we were snuggled together admiring the beautiful snowcapped peak. The atmosphere (and maybe also the lack of oxygen!) put my honey in a mood that made her quite receptive to my initial advances.
As we began to get steamed up, I slid her sideways onto my lap so that we could both watch the view. Holding her tightly (for safety’s sake), I soon found that slight movements of the controls would result in short, small variations in altitude. This set up a rocking, wavelike motion that allowed me to “toss” her up a few inches. Editor’s Note: In our world, we consider this a textbook example of pilot induced oscillation!
Setting up a rhythm, it didn’t take long until we were relaxing and heading home. As we gradually descended for the airport, we watched a beautiful sunset over western Oregon. Thus we became members of the “Two” Mile High Club!