Rita and her mother arrived to Budapest from Tatárszentgyörgy. Rita’s face showed only interest and anticipation and there was no trace of the tiredness from the early rise. Thus, we went from the bus terminal straight to Budaörs Airport.

Our pilot had not yet arrived, and thus we had time for a thorough look at a repair shop. Nearly the whole history of flying was crammed into the small hangar, from open cockpit biplanes to little two-person helicopters. Of course, most of the aircraft were modern small airplanes.

There were some planes on display outdoors as well, and the cockpit of one of them had been converted into a snack bar. Since it was closed, Rita was only able to look inside through the window; she saw beer bottles at the place where the flight instruments had been.

Gábor Földvári, the pilot who had kindly offered us the opportunity to fly, arrived after a short while. He checked the plane quickly but thoroughly. Then the passengers got in and we took off, beginning our flight toward Budapest. From up high we saw the Parliament building and the bridges on the Danube. Flying above the bend of the river, we looked down and saw the small houses in Szentendre and Visegrád, and then the plane flew back to Budaörs via Solymár.

Rita and her mother got out of the plane with smiles on their faces – they were enriched by a great experience. Furthermore, Gábor Földvári was happy to show the details of his plane (a Zlin 43 manufactured in the Czech Republic) to Rita, who has a keen interest in technology.

The flying adventure ended with a lunch, but Rita’s enthusiasm seemed limitless. She kept retelling her experiences over and over again, and she most likely continued doing so until the bus took her and her mother back to their home.

We would like to express our gratitude to the West-End Air Team for their kind support.

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