I’ve been doing some more flying. It’s AMAZING. My favourite bit is the take off – it’s like magic. There you are bowling along the runway, then all of a sudden you are up in the air. Every time it feels like one in the eye for my old nemesis – gravity. The only thing I can compare it to is that wonderful moment when a back and white photograph starts to appear in the developing tray. Love it!
Based on my few hours in tiny aeroplanes, I want to share some surprises.
1) taxiing is all done with the feet. Go left, push left. Not hard in principle but so far I’ve been weaving around the airport like a drunken sailor.
2) it turns out that those dials aren’t for show – there are a LOT of things to look at . There’s a little too much for my tiny mind to take in all at once. I’ve found that I can maintain altitude, maintain speed and maintain bearing but rarely more than two at a time.
3) as a result of 2) flying so far is about the only thing that will shut me up for any length of time.
4) I have absolutely no idea where I am in the air. When I’m instructed to head back to the airport – I have to be told where it is. I’m not sure how pilots learn to recognise airports. I’ve got a way to go here I think.