Taking To The Skies (sort of!)

I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to planes (and anything in the skies, really).

My lovely dad was a design engineer, and was passionate about aeroplanes. We lived about half an hour from Glasgow Airport, and he used to take us there of an afternoon for something to eat and a couple of hours of plane watching.

When we were ever on a flight he would point out various parts of the engines, wings etc, so unsurprisingly I have absolutely no fear of flying . . . I love it.

My husband’s a plane geek too (he got a flight in a Spitfire for his 50^th birthday, and briefly got to fly it). So I’ve been toying for a while with the idea of trying something aeronautical.

A MIG jet flight as a passenger will set you back around £15,000 so that was out, but my friends came up tops and decided to start me off on a beginner’s level with a flight in a simulator at Perth Airport.

Now, I’m a very busy mum of three who can multi-task with the best of them, but being on a flight deck takes it to a whole new level!

There are dials and levers everywhere and you’re so busy watching your altitude that you forget about your speed! My lovely instructor (who was about 12) let me put it into a stall as I was heading that way anyway.

And then there was my landings . . . let’s just say you wouldn’t sleep through one of mine!

A change of pace

So from the adrenaline of flight to a complete societal lockdown! Well, the PF Team are very lucky that we were all able to work from home as quickly as possible.

But I’m finding it strange (as a lot of people will be) that you suddenly find yourself with a little more time on your hands.

One of things I’m doing is going onto the “documentaries” tab on BBC iPlayer and watching or re-watching some favourites.

There is an absolute wealth of material on there, and you’re actually learning while sitting on your sofa.

Now, in advance of my next adventure in the skies, I’m off to look out my parachute . . .

For more from the team, read our blog here.