It’s perhaps now, at this time of year, that here in the UK, we get the most dramatic skies to fly in.
I’m fortunate to fly all year round, teaching student pilots how to fly and also flying with first timers who are looking for a taster of what it’s all about.
I never get tired of doing this job.
But at this time of year, as the long summer days are fading into memory, and the night air is just a little chillier, I really appreciate some of nature’s more dramatic phenomena.
I love the cloud formations you get when the moist air off the Irish Sea, and the Atlantic beyond it, hits our small island and is lifted by the geography. I love the cumulus that form when the sun comes out and heats that moisture-filled air, causing it to rise. And I love the cloud formations drifting through the sky that transform an area I fly in every week into a new and exciting playground of cotton wool valleys, hills and tunnels.
It’s simply amazing what a difference it can make and how much fun it is to fly in these conditions. Showing your passenger or student the beauty of clouds up close and experiencing the three dimensional nature of them rather than the flattened view we get from the ground never gets old.
This weekend was a case in point. On the ground it was overcast and gloomy, but as we tracked towards the coast, the clouds opened up and provided a simply awesome sky to enjoy.
And enjoy it we did.
If you’ve never done a run through a cloud valley, skimmed along the edge of a cumulus, or recreated the Top Gun: Maverick attack run – you really don’t know what you are missing. Give it a go*, honestly, you will not be disappointed.
If anyone is in any doubt as to why we go flying, and there are many reasons, these photos should explain it, at least in part…
And if you fancy trying it for yourself and are ever in the North West UK, come visit us at Attitude Airsports – but I warn you, once you’ve been up, you’ll never want to come back down!
Blue skies everyone.
* All flying should be conducted in accordance with applicable regulations, airspace restrictions and weather minima. The examples above refer only to flights carried out legally and safely by appropriately qualified pilots operating within the limits of the law and the prevailing conditions.
