Soaring Over Citrus County

Oksana and Max St. John from Drink Tea and Travel experienced the region’s beauty in a unique way, joining an aerial discovery flight with Right Rudder Aviation, a local flight school out of Inverness, Florida.

Nestled in the heart of Florida, Citrus County boasts natural beauty, serene landscapes, and the famous Crystal River, one of the best destinations for manatee encounters in Florida. To experience the region’s beauty in a unique way, we joined an aerial discovery flight with Right Rudder Aviation, a local flight school out of Inverness, Florida.

Read on to get a first-hand account of our experience on a 2-seater glider plane and learn more about how you too, can add this experience to your list of things to do in Crystal River.

The first few minutes of our discovery flight were a thrill. The sensation of weightlessness settled in, and the once-familiar landscape offered a new perspective from above.

As we navigated away from Inverness and towards Crystal River, the scenery became more and more spectacular. From above, Crystal River’s natural beauty was even more impressive.

The landscape was green and lush, filled with waterways, forests, and open fields. We flew over Three Sisters Springs, searching for signs of manatees on the water’s surface, past King’s Bay, Salt River, and Dixie Bay spotting fishing boats and scalloping charters along the way.

On the way back, my pilot descended us to a lower altitude to get a closer look at the islands and keys in the bay. The bird’s eye view was mesmerizing!

Before I knew it, we were back in Inverness, flying over the Citrus Wildlife Management Area en route back to Inverness Airport.

“Are you ready for the best part of the flight?”, the pilot asked me as we approached the airport. I nodded without hesitation. “I’ll be turning off the engine now, and we will land with the engine off so that you can see the beauty of this glider plane in action”

A detailed explanation followed. Planes don’t simply fall out of the sky without engine power; they simply glider through the air. By controlling the aircraft’s attitude and airspeed, the pilots harnessed the forces of air thermals, lift and gravity to maintain forward motion and altitude.

It was a fascinating demonstration. The engine’s roar subsided, replaced by a gentle hum as we glided through the air. The plane descended slowly, landing softly on the runway.

Soaring Over Citrus County

Oksana and Max St. John from Drink Tea and Travel experienced the region’s beauty in a unique way, joining an aerial discovery flight with Right Rudder Aviation, a local flight school out of Inverness, Florida.

To learn more about Oksana and Max's flight, how to book a Discovery Flight, or other adventures the duo experienced here in Citrus County, be sure to check out their blog: Drink Tea and Travel

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