History Main / TheJoyOfFirstFlight

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', just about every time Hiccup flies on Toothless, there is swelling, excited music on the soundtrack and both characters look absolutely exhilarated. Hiccup does indeed go "Woo!" at one point and pumps his arms in the air.
** There's also Astrid's reaction when Hiccup and Toothless take her flying to convince her that Toothless isn't just a monster (after he initially scares the hell out of her with stomach-churning stunt flying until she apologises) which doubles as a FlightOfRomance for her and Hiccup, set to the soaring but beautiful tune of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXUd7GqXYGI "Romantic Flight"]] to really convey the beauty of being able to touch the clouds with your fingers.

* ''Anime/StrikeWitches'': Eponymous heroines' job is hunting the airborne baddies, by attacking with firearms (less often, melee) and using magic for shield defence and wild aerial manoeuvers. Main heroine Yoshika has to tackle her first time flying with sole prior experience being see another witch fly. She nearly falls off the carrier into the ocean when trying to take off, but manages not to, excitedly shouting "I'm flying!" The soundtrack in anime employs a triumphant piece for the first time in the one-sided clash with the enemy ambush that frames the event. She manages to help stall the aggression long enough for TheCavalry to arrive, then [[PostVictoryCollapse faints from exertion]].

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. [[spoiler: Not only is Zaheer learning to fly a very, ''very'' bad thing for the protagonists, but it was born from Zaheer tragically losing the last of his earthly attachments -- his longtime love, P'Li.]]

** Kabura used to be a [[DelicateAndSickly sickly woman]] when she was still human, constantly being hospitalized and not being able to travel or do anything that was remotely exhausting to the point that she grew apart from her human friends [[RightBehindMe after they privately admitted that they considered her a burden]]. After Haru turned her into a vampire, the first thing Kabura did was go for a flight in her hospital gown, crying TearsOfJoy and laughing with childlike glee.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'': When Donkey gets hit by some stray pixie dust and starts flying, he's so thrilled he reveals his ability to talk in front of the Duloc guards. This bites him in the [[{{Pun}} ass]] when the pixie dust wears off, leading to Shrek (accidentally) rescuing him.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheNeverendingStory https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_joy_of_first_flight_0.jpg]]]]

** Hilariously subverted in ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome''. Peter tries taking M.J through NYC on his webs, and she’s understandably terrified and swears never to do it again.

** Kabura used to be a [[DelicateAndSickly sickly woman]] when she was still human, constantly being hospitalized and not being able to travel or do anything that was remotely exhausting to the point that she grew apart from her human friends after they privately admitted that they considered her a burden. After Haru turned her into a vampire, the first thing Kabura did was go for a flight in her hospital gown, crying TearsOfJoy and laughing with childlike glee.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Daenerys Targaryen is exhilarated by her first flight on the back of her dragon Drogon, despite being somewhat in shock from the events that led to it.

* Quasimodo from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' encourages a young, tremulous bird to take its first flight. When the bird discovers that it can indeed remain airborne, it's ecstatic and goes soaring off to join other birds in riding the wind. This scene demonstrates that Quasimodo is kindly and compassionate, and contrasts the bird's freedom in the skies with Quasimodo's effective imprisonment in the cathedral's belltower.

* Once TheMole Neville Sinclair from ''Film/TheRocketeer'' gets his hands on Cliff's jetpack, he straps it on and goes zooming around the Nazi dirigible, cackling with exhilaration. Then KarmicDeath kicks in, demonstrating why jetpacks tend to be problematic devices. Nonetheless, he had that moment.

* In the infamously bad ''Film/ThePumaman'', when the protagonist first tries his flight power, it's accompanied by joyful music meant to evoke the wonder... of some of the worst ChromaKey in the history of mankind. The [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E03ThePumaman MST3K episode]] had ''tons'' of fun with it.

* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Banshee has several failed attempts at harnessing his screaming powers to fly. The first time he flies (rather than falling), he gives out a classic "woo hoo!", which he immediately has to stop - in order to give another scream that will keep him flying.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': More like the joy of ''every'' flight- according to every member of the team in just about every book, the thrill of flying never gets old. If anything, all other experiences pale before it: Jake mentions a roller coaster that's just sad compared to pulling a 200 mph dive as a peregrine falcon.

* ''Literature/{{Eragon}}'': Eragon's first exhilarating flight with his dragon Saphira, which is also an enjoyable experience for Saphira because of her telepathic link to him.

** More downplayed then most examples, since the guys was dealing with some bullies at the time, but the first time Harry gets on a broom, he reacts with shocked amazement, reflecting that it's the first time he's ever been so naturally talented at something. When he later tries to conjure up a happy memory, he remembers the first time he flew on a broomstick. [[spoiler:It wasn't strong enough to repel the Boggart in the form of a Dementor.]]

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'': Main character Tatsuya's brilliancy in handling--and development (as only a handful of characters ever know)--of cutting edge {{magitek}}, bears novel fruit: the flying device. Onscreen events include him showing the prototype to his prodigy little sister Miyuki, followed by Miyuki's test flight. Later, Tatsuya's closely collaborating thinktank laboratory testers use small batch of devices. Next comes a very public display by Miyuki in major event of Nine-School Competition arc without prior announcement. Making it three revelations of one device, with increasing in-universe audience each time.
* In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', Arthur Dent certainly experiences exhilaration (as well as a healthy dose of fear) when he first learns to fly. He doesn't ''really'' get into it, though, until ''Literature/SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish'', when he discovers that LoveInterest Fenchurch has the same ability. They are quick to exploit the PowerPerversionPotential by joining the MileHighClub ''without'' mechanical assistance.
* Learning to fly is one of the first magical skills which Skeeve from ''Literature/MythAdventures'' finds ''really'' enjoyable.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', a key part of video game [=ALfheim=] Online's appeal is that it lets characters fly--which means, being as it's a [[InsideAComputerSystem virtual reality]] game, that the players get to experience flight for themselves. When Kirito first gets the hang of the flight controls in ALO, he takes a minute to have fun being able to fly, momentarily forgetting about his very serious mission.

* ''{{Series/Heroes}}'' [[DownplayedTrope downplays this a little]] in a moment in episode 2 where [[PowerCopying Peter]] argues with Nathan on a rooftop and unwittingly copies his power to fly causing him to hover. His reaction upon realizing this (with Nathan's help) is sheer amazement.

* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Subverted when Kobayashi rides Tohru for the first time due to been late for work, with her reaction been a mix of terror from the speed of their flight and agony due to her lower back pain. After a few more times, however, she appears to enjoy it without much issue - actively asking to ride Tohru on the night of Christmas Eve in the anime and expressing great joy during the flight.

* ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'' has a scene where Howl takes Sophie out on a "stroll through the sky," which fills her with wonder and amazement at his powers.

* ''Anime/SpiritedAway'': Haku transporting Chihiro to the bathhouse is the first flight in the movie to show hope and liberation, as during it, Chihiro remembers [[IKnowYourTrueName Haku's true name]], freeing him.

[[folder:Light Novels]]
* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'': Main character Tatsuya's brilliancy in handling--and development (as only a handful of characters ever know)--of cutting edge {{magitek}}, bears novel fruit: the flying device. Onscreen events include him showing the prototype to his prodigy little sister Miyuki, followed by Miyuki's test flight. Later, Tatsuya's closely collaborating thinktank laboratory testers use small batch of devices. Next comes a very public display by Miyuki in major event of Nine-School Competition arc without prior announcement. Making it three revelations of one device, with increasing in-universe audience each time.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', a key part of video game [=ALfheim=] Online's appeal is that it lets characters fly--which means, being as it's a [[InsideAComputerSystem virtual reality]] game, that the players get to experience flight for themselves. When Kirito first gets the hang of the flight controls in ALO, he takes a minute to have fun being able to fly, momentarily forgetting about his very serious mission.
[[/folder]]

* ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'': Male protagonist, upon getting his bearings in the secretive new-fad virtual world high-stakes game, is revealed to have "flight" innate ability on his avatar. Simply unheard of and treated accordingly.

* Twice earlier when Buzz Lightyear from Creator/{{Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' attempted to fly, he failed. The second failure also served as his BreakTheCutie moment. However, when Buzz deployed his wings to break free of the doomed rocket, he discovered that he could indeed fly... or at least glide well. This even gave him the chance to chide Sheriff Woody with an IronicEcho: "This isn't flying; this is falling, ''with style''."

* In Disney's ''[[Film/SkyHigh2005 Sky High]]'': the trope is subverted. Will Stronghold is in the middle of a fight and has to stop the school from falling on some helpless {{Muggles}}. He doesn't have a chance to stop and be overtaken with wonder that he can fly.

* In ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'', Supergirl's first flight is treated like a ballet. It's one of the prettiest scenes in the film.

* Subverted in ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' when Kobayashi rides Tohru for the first time due to been late for work, with her reaction been a mix of terror from the speed of their flight and agony due to her lower back pain. After a few more times, however, she appears to enjoy it without much issue - actively asking to ride Tohru on the night of Christmas Eve in the anime and expressing great joy during the flight.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} sports a radiant smile when she takes off and soars through the skies for the first time. [[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton2004 Later]] [[ComicBook/LastDaughterOfKrypton origin]] stories subverted this, though, making Kara look more shocked and scared than joyous.

* In ''Fanfic/SupermanAndMan'', Creator/ChristopherReeve switches bodies with Franchise/{{Superman}} for one day. When he takes off for the first time, it's an absolutely exhilarant moment.

* Used twice in ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks''. The first time is with Miss Brown learning how to fly on a broom, the second time is with her and the kids flying on the bed for the first time.

* In the infamously bad ''Film/PumaMan'', when the protagonist first tries his flight power, it's accompanied by joyful music meant to evoke the wonder... of some of the worst ChromaKey in the history of mankind. The [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E03ThePumaman MST3K episode]] had ''tons'' of fun with it.

* In the infamously bad ''Film/PumaMan'', when the protagonist first tries his flight power, it's accompanied by joyful music meant to evoke the wonder... of some of the worst ChromaKey in the history of mankind. The [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E03PumaMan MST3K episode]] had ''tons'' of fun with it.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[/folder]]

-->'''Karolina:''' "I wish we'd never learned about any of this! I was much happier being kept in the dark! I...I hope our parents ''do'' kill us now! I...I...I can fly? Oh, my God! I CAN FLY!"

--->'''Jonathan Kent:''' "You really did it, son? You flew?"\\
'''Clark Kent:''' "I flew, Pa! Up, up and away! It was incredible!"

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' story ''ComicBook/TheGreatDarknessSaga''. Most of Legionnaires love flying, but Invisible Kid can't wait to land after being forced to fly from California to London during his first mission.
-->'''Invisible Kid:''' "And if you would, please-- Could we not land first? I think my stomach has flown enough for its first day with a Flight Ring!"

-->'''Peter Pan:''' He can fly!
--> '''Pigs:''' He can fly!
--> '''Guard:''' He can ''talk.''

* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Banshee has several failed attempts at harnessing his screaming powers to flight. The first time he flies (rather than fall), he gives out a classic "woo hoo!", which he immediately has to stop - in order to give another scream that will keep him flying.

* ''Literature/{{Eragon}}'': Eragon's first exhilarating flight with his dragon Saphira, and is also an enjoyable experience for Saphira because of her telepathic link to him.

* ''Anime/RinneNoLagrange'': Subverted. Naval carrier commander inquires on main heroine Madoka's status, what's with her clueless self just having been launched on autopilot in an aircraft-mode transforming robot, as practically a last resort against an attack. His subordinate answers that Madoka is "agitated", and brings up a muted feed of emotional Madoka in robot's cockpit, asking whether sound should be patched through. Commander, with mild disgust, says there's no need to.

Standard trope for any character becoming the DragonRider.

* When Superman learns to fly in ''Film/ManOfSteel'', it is treated with great gravitas, as it's one of the last of his superpowers he learns.