Fear of Flying

I've always had a fear of flying, but at the same time an intense fascination with it. As a kid at Kloof schools, I used to "fly" my bicycle down the hectically steep Emolweni Hill just before school.

I spent many hours designing and drawing my bicycle with wings and pedal/cog driven propellers that would take me into the air half-way down the hill and land me triumphantly on the school fields below. That was never a problem.

It was the big commercial airliners that bumped and shuddered, and perhaps the engine fire on my first trip to London, aborting take-off in Nairobi, that was scary.... but nothing that a few double shots before boarding a flight couldn't cure. Maybe it's a control thing... when I'm on my own and in control, I'm fine. Jumping solo out of an aeroplane with a parachute was no real problem either. I think the scariest part was taking the step out of the plane by myself into the wind and clutching on the wing struts all alone. Letting go was easier. Floating down was glorious.

The wreck in the photo is my flying school's training plane that crashed into a local Church steeple killing the newly qualified young pilot and his father. I cry to myself when I look at the wreck and the photo. I hope there was some other sense or greater purpose in this tragedy. So scary! Air Crash investigations on TV are also fascinating to me.. I've watched them all and followed with great respect the care and attention to detail that takes place to unravel the darkest moments before the crash. I'm awed at the safety improvements introduced afterwards and usually retro-fitted to hundreds of aircraft to make flight safer in the future.

I'm conscious of the risks and responsibilities of a good pilot and am enjoying the challenge. Just teach me to land in one piece and level. I'm getting there!