The best moment in Out of Africa is the swooping arrival of an unknown biplane in the bright sunlight by Karen Von Blixen’s house. She sees Finch Hatton, bronzed and happy, jump nimbly out. “When did you learn to fly?” she asks. “Yesterday afternoon” was the reply.
The freedom of the seas and of the air draw people. Those very early days of aviation must have been glorious. Few planes, no rules.
I was a sea, not an air, officer. But I grabbed every moment I could to get airborne – at the controls when the pilot was persuadable - and always loved it. Then, about 15 years ago, a friend told me about a machine which, on a sunny day with time to spare, would allow him to stop by the side of the road, unfurl a large paraglider, run a bit and go flying. It sounded wonderful. It is; ten years later I got round to paramotoring.
I've been getting used to longer flights (the longest so far 54 miles in 1 3/4 hrs) and landing in places I have not seen before, working my camera and navigation gear while airborne, etc. etc...
My route is 376 miles long past Oxford, to Bambury, east of Leicester, up the east side of the Pennines, over the high ground of Weardale to the North Tyne just beyond Hadrian’s Wall; thence onwards to a field just north of the mighty Tweed. Why over the high ground? Well, the RAF for obvious reasons has several bases up the east side of England, and there are plenty of airports. So I must dodge controlled airspace which from half way up England tends to push me west. I usually fly at 600 feet or more so that I am clear of pylons and so that, if the engine conks out, I have plenty of time to decide where to glide for a landing. (In fact I’m constantly rehearsing that scenario in my mind as the scenery changes below).
On a good day, breeze in the face, it’s wonderful, despite the muffled engine noise. At 25mph, there’s time to appreciate our hills and valleys, and features (like old field boundaries) which cast long shadows sunrise and sunset. And so much more ...castles halls, cathedrals ... iron age, Roman and medieval sites ... industrial railway lines (past and present), canals .... and much more. At the same time, I’m busy keeping a good lookout and recognising features, so that - if my phone navigation system collapses – I won’t get lost. Good old Naval dead reckoning helps here!
WISH ME LUCK. AND, IF YOU FEEL ABLE AND INCLINED, PLEASE SUPPORT THE TWO CAUSES FOR WHICH I AM COLLECTING FUNDS
gives access to two Just Giving pages which can also be reached at:
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charles-style-2-AthenaeumSingers and justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charles-style-SDH
If the links do not automatically load, please cut and paste