“I heard an airplane passing overhead. I wished I was on it.”
― Charles Bukowski
Stretch, stretch, pretty wings,
It’s a special day;
Soon they will be strong enough
For me to fly away.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to the society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.
— George Bernard Shaw
Lovers of air travel find it exhilarating to hang poised between the illusion of immortality and the fact of death. ~Alexander Chase, “Perspectives,” 1966
PS: All photographs taken in Kew Gardens during my last visit to London. I love looking up at these airplanes/helicopters flying.
Having traveled just recently, the only thing that came to my mind when I read the prompt was ‘First Class’. I love flying. When the flight charges were very very cheap and the domestic airport was inside the city, I used to fly to my home town very frequently. Used those airplanes like a bus. The international flights are a different thing. I so want to fly in a A380 once. And if possible in First Class. Don’t you think it is not nice of those people who make us walk through the First Class and Business Class to reach the Economy Class seats in the flights? In most cases, the social order is the other way round isn’t? Or at least they should let the economy people go through a different entrance 😦 I usually end up wondering how it would be to stretch my leg in a first / business class, after my 8th hour into the flight. And the other worse part is, a day before you checkin, you see an email that I could get an upgrade to either of those unreachable classes. When you click those emails and read them, it will be for the connecting flight which has the least travel time (in my case it is min of 1 hour to max of 4 hours, whereas the rest of the journey would be 10 hrs to 21 hours depending on my destination) and that too for an abominable amount. I always delete those email after cursing them for a couple of minutes. One day, lady luck will smile on me or may be I will end up spending my hard earned money, to experience the pleasures of a First / Business class, just once. Knowing me, I would end up feeling a lot guilty throughout the flight for spending my money on a few hours of comfort.
Found an article about Kerala (The Indian Venice, I think that is what it says on the cover) in a French Magazine, while on my way from London to Cork in the City Jet flight . Wonder why a French magazine instead of an Irish or an English one!?
“Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.”
― Amelia Earhart
Was watching the airplanes fly through the clouds and since there were too many flying out and about, I decided to take my camera out for a quick shot while the clouds were still there. My friend’s house is located in such a way that I can see these planes flying and since London has quite a busy air traffic there is at least one in 10 minutes. It is fun to watch them. I will be flying in one of them in about a week.
With my fear of heights and my claustrophobia, I used to think that I would be afraid to use flying as a mode of transport. But it turned out the other way. I absolutely love flying. That closed space yet open enough to go around, all those different people with different background and culture with lot of stories floating in the air, all those in flight entertainment, the occasional jerks, turbulence which increases the adrenaline and prayers – there is something to be said for that. I do get leg cramps sitting for those long hours and I am not a person who would get up every now and then, but when every one goes to sleep and its quiet inside, there is an eerie calm. Seeing the land below from above the clouds, as if you are close to a different world, the sun rises and the sun set that are so different from the way they look from the ground – they have their own beauty. Even though there are enough scary stories out in the world to discourage one from getting in the plane, I have never felt any anxiety or fear of flying. I don’t know if it is good or bad or weird but I am so looking forward for my flight tomorrow early morning. And to have a safe flight.
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