Before
9/11 and the fear of terrorist attacks there were international air carriers
that allowed civilians to join the flight crew in the cockpit of a commercial
airplane. Okay – so maybe it wasn’t really official authorization rather than
turning a blind eye to pilots that were bored and sought entertainment beyond
the Daily Mail or National Enquirer. When a plane is an autopilot it can be
quite dull.
I
had the good fortune to twice be invited to join the captain and co-pilot on
the flight deck of a Qantas Boeing 767 en route to / from Hong Kong to
Singapore. It was the early 1990’s. The pilots were for the most part retired
RAF. I was traveling throughout
Southeast Asia (often alone) as the dependent spouse of an international
salesman.
Because
of some airline tragedies that had adversely affected my psyche in my youth, I
had discomfort with flying. However, I’d
spent two years on Taiwan and learned that it was preferable to depart by air
on a regular basis rather than inhale the toxic fumes of Taipei. So I embraced
the chance to experience flight from my perch with a view through the
windshield. It was intoxicating! For the first time I was filled with the
excitement of flight and an understanding of the adrenaline rush that one felt
when the plane lifted off the ground and the mesmerizing view one feels banking
over a mountain with the lights of a vibrant city or seafaring vessels in the
harbors below. I felt an exhilaration I’d never known before.
I
will never forget the beauty of the expanse of land and water that I saw
through that window. It is so different from the view that one has from the
portal in the body of an aircraft. To
have been asked not just once but twice to enjoy this experience is almost mind-numbingly
joyful!
Sometimes
I wish I could reach into the past and revel in those experiences that I took
for granted. Alas, that is not possible. But at least I have the memories.
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