Up In The Air

Heights have never made me nervous like some people. I could stand at the edge of a cliff, feel my heart beating and love every bit of it. Every vacation my family and I took, I wanted to partake in any adventurous, dangerous activity offered. When I was ten, my brother, sister and me hopped on a small plane and took a ride around the area of the North Woods of Wisconsin. It was one of the greatest memories I have.

When an airplane story crossed my journalism path, I jumped to cover it. There's this little aircraft repair shop in Fulton, MO. It's been open for 10 years, but any average passerby probably never noticed the shop.

I'll admit that I could have covered this story a heck of a lot better. I needed more of a business side. I only spoke to the guys at the shop. As my professor stated, too much like a commercial; I agreed.

Nevertheless, I had fun and learned a great deal.

Skytek's shop is a four-car sized garage at the Elton Memorial Airport in Fulton. During the wintertime, the owner, Bob Moseley, says they're pretty slow. But lately, they've had the business this winter since opening.

I wish I had gone to Skytek when it was a little warmer and not so much snow on the ground. That day kind of limited me to what I could shoot. I wish I had video and sound of the plane engine and the mechanics moving the planes.

I shot my stand-up in front of the plane. It looked pretty cool but I thought of a better idea after I had already shot it. I could've sat in the actual plane and talked. That would've been much more captivating. Worried about returning the camera, I left Skytek without re-shooting. Looking back, I wish I had just stayed a bit longer and re-did my stand-up.

I had some nice sequence shots but the natural sound wasn't as strong as I had hoped. Again, having the plane engine noise would've made the story much better.

Also, my framing on my interview with Moseley was too wide. After I shot my third story, Running For Robert, I think I learned my framing lesson.

Even though my story wasn't up to par, or to my liking, I learned what it takes to repair small airplanes. It takes a lot more knowledge to repair small airplanes because mechanics need to know how to fix every part. On commercial planes, each part of the plane is designated to certain mechanics. Moseley said he and his guys could easily walk into a big plane shop and fix those air crafts but it wouldn't be quite as simple for the big plane mechanics.

I had a good laugh with all the Skytek employees. I'd love to see the skies one day again...maybe Skytek can help.