I love this piece. I am fortunate to marvel at the wonder of flight without the terror. The cloudscapes, physics and power. I particularly love trying to identify places on the ground, six miles down.
A very memorable return from Ibiza to Manchester when one was able to see the Straits of Dover, the ship wakes and both portals of the Channel Tunnel all lit by the setting sun.
I also marvel at pilots who bring us down safely in Manchester, where they can see nowt but cloud. Maybe a glimpse of Audenshaw Reservoirs or the Pyramid in Stockport.
Beautiful… 100% nail on the head of many experiences out there. My son is an Easyjet Captain who flies out of Luton and his daughter is now stepping on to that same path. He has never wanted to be anything other than a Pilot and has said so many times that if, for whatever reason, he ever had to give up passenger flights he would move over to flying cargo - such is *his* love of flying. He has always hoped to convey something of that love to his passengers and his crew on every trip. I will send your essay to him; I know he will appreciate it
A wonderful piece of writing. I write with feeling, remembering what happened to my poor ears coming in to land at Gatwick, over forty years ago, having just seen the marvel of the plane's shadow (?) on shining clouds. Wonder and terror, indeed.
Lovely writing. I have my own ways of dealing with the terror. A younger me imagined that we stayed on the ground and a sort of film was rolled past the windows to deceive us into thinking we were moving. These days, a very old me envisions the plane in the hand of God, guided gently and securely to my destination.
Lovely writing Claire. You are, I think, fortunate to have the Awe to balance at least some of the Dread.
Just a guess on my part, but did the seats in the remarkable VC10s of your childhood face backwards? I only flew in a VC10 once, but it was my first ever flight so the beast has a special place in my heart too. And yes, the seats faced backwards.
As important as the engines are, they don’t really hold the plane up, the wings do that. But given the detail in your piece I’m sure you know that too.
Might I suggest that you seek out your local airfield and take a trial flying lesson?
Several members of Pink Floyd are qualified pilots; apparently they took flying lessons initially to help overcome their fear of flying - which their success meant they were doing rather a lot of.
Trial lessons are often “reasonably priced” and can be a gateway to highly addictive and expensive further lessons. If you want to continue beyond the trial lesson then I guess it helps to be as rich as the members of Pink Floyd.
I loved flying until I met my husband who was very nervous & fidgety. Fortunately, I haven’t ever experienced really bad turbulence & a Bloody Mary usually does the trick for me & some calming Bach Flower Remedy nowadays.
Brilliantly captured sentiment! It's all about air moving over, and under, the wings to get, and stay, up there... and about auto-application of brakes on the wheels, for the most part, on landing - as explained here if interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1bruKUS-u0
My wife is absolutely terrified of flying. Whenever we happen to be driving past Stansted and one of those big beasts passes over our heads her response is always the same. Basically, "f**k the science, that's not right". Now, should I show her this excellent piece of writing or not?
I love this piece. I am fortunate to marvel at the wonder of flight without the terror. The cloudscapes, physics and power. I particularly love trying to identify places on the ground, six miles down.
A very memorable return from Ibiza to Manchester when one was able to see the Straits of Dover, the ship wakes and both portals of the Channel Tunnel all lit by the setting sun.
I also marvel at pilots who bring us down safely in Manchester, where they can see nowt but cloud. Maybe a glimpse of Audenshaw Reservoirs or the Pyramid in Stockport.
This piece absolutely describes how I feel every time I fly. Here’s me thinking I’m the only one! Thank you
Beautiful… 100% nail on the head of many experiences out there. My son is an Easyjet Captain who flies out of Luton and his daughter is now stepping on to that same path. He has never wanted to be anything other than a Pilot and has said so many times that if, for whatever reason, he ever had to give up passenger flights he would move over to flying cargo - such is *his* love of flying. He has always hoped to convey something of that love to his passengers and his crew on every trip. I will send your essay to him; I know he will appreciate it
A wonderful piece of writing. I write with feeling, remembering what happened to my poor ears coming in to land at Gatwick, over forty years ago, having just seen the marvel of the plane's shadow (?) on shining clouds. Wonder and terror, indeed.
Thank you, good to know I’m not alone 😊
Lovely writing. I have my own ways of dealing with the terror. A younger me imagined that we stayed on the ground and a sort of film was rolled past the windows to deceive us into thinking we were moving. These days, a very old me envisions the plane in the hand of God, guided gently and securely to my destination.
Lovely writing Claire. You are, I think, fortunate to have the Awe to balance at least some of the Dread.
Just a guess on my part, but did the seats in the remarkable VC10s of your childhood face backwards? I only flew in a VC10 once, but it was my first ever flight so the beast has a special place in my heart too. And yes, the seats faced backwards.
As important as the engines are, they don’t really hold the plane up, the wings do that. But given the detail in your piece I’m sure you know that too.
Might I suggest that you seek out your local airfield and take a trial flying lesson?
Several members of Pink Floyd are qualified pilots; apparently they took flying lessons initially to help overcome their fear of flying - which their success meant they were doing rather a lot of.
Trial lessons are often “reasonably priced” and can be a gateway to highly addictive and expensive further lessons. If you want to continue beyond the trial lesson then I guess it helps to be as rich as the members of Pink Floyd.
I loved flying until I met my husband who was very nervous & fidgety. Fortunately, I haven’t ever experienced really bad turbulence & a Bloody Mary usually does the trick for me & some calming Bach Flower Remedy nowadays.
Brilliantly captured sentiment! It's all about air moving over, and under, the wings to get, and stay, up there... and about auto-application of brakes on the wheels, for the most part, on landing - as explained here if interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1bruKUS-u0
My wife is absolutely terrified of flying. Whenever we happen to be driving past Stansted and one of those big beasts passes over our heads her response is always the same. Basically, "f**k the science, that's not right". Now, should I show her this excellent piece of writing or not?