Above the Clouds
The world spread out before us, horizon on every side. From this height the curve could be seen plainly. Slowly the hills and valleys drifted past. The world looked smoother from far away. Winding watercourses were marked in squiggles across the land by the dark green trees, water reflected the deep blue of the sky. The sky that I was part of. Lives drifted past us. People driving down the highway, busily going on with normal life, while we passed unnoticed, overhead. Vineyards and paddocks patchworked the country side. Everything a shade of rain watered green.
It has been a rather crazy few weeks for my family, but in between everything we got to go flying. I had never been in any air craft before, so the experience was like no other. I guess it is also very different to being in a passenger plane. A lot different.
My sisters and I went up in a little four seater plane. From the airport we flew, following the highway back to our house. Then we returned to the airport, it took about half an hour.
I was not scared of flying..... just the not flying.... trust issue I suppose. But I survived. Actually, I totally forgot about the fact that the plane might fall out of the sky at any moment, or we would get lost, or crash land, or sizzle up in the sun or fly out of the atmosphere.... or be abducted by aliens. Yes, well actually, I didn't even think about that until afterwards. I had purposely not thought about it beforehand.
Amazing, awesomeness, wow, I think that for a time I was just staring with my mouth open.
Then we flew over our town. I hardly recognized it at first. Everything looked so strange from the air.
Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. ~Douglas Adams
We could also see the ugly grey cuts in the earth as we flew over. I could see them even more from the sky than from the ground. They seemed smaller though, but then everything did. Then the plane banked and turned. The take off was fine and the landing, the banking though, well it was not so nice, I suddenly got to thinking about; how do these things actually stay up? In the next photo I am trying to hold the camera straight (in comparison to the aeroplane) ...... the horizon, well you can see, it is not exactly flat.... well it is flat but it has a great tilt to it and when I am so far above the ground that has a slightly disturbing effect.
Then the plane flew level again, through the blue sky over green paddocks. Isn't our God amazing to create all this! How beautiful it looks, I do wonder what land that had not been touched by man would look like though. We went flying at the perfect time, early in the morning and after two months of massive rainfall. All shades of green spread out below us. Each paddock differing slightly from those bordering it. The ugly grey scars of the mines really stood out though. It is such a pity they are necessary for our countries economy.
Below us, life went on.
It seemed strange to be able to look down on other peoples lives; to look at their houses and all their property from above; to watch cars drive along the road, cattle, horses and sheep wander in their paddocks.
I would do it again if I had the chance.
Have you been flying before?
In a big or small plane or in something else?
Did you like it? would you do it again?
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1 comments
I went flying once in a little personal plane...sadly I was only four and don't remember the incident!
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm really jealous of is all your green country side! We don't have that here right now. I can't wait for spring!