I've had an amazing afternoon, courtesy of my new housemate Claython. He recently got his pilot's licence so is now able to take a few friends flying whenever he fancies. I was lucky enough to get one of the four seats on today's exclusive flight.
It was a grey and rainy day when we arrived at Lelystad airport at lunchtime, but after an hour or two's wait the weather started to clear and we were ready to go. I must admit, I was feeling a little nervous as I climbed into a plane which looked like a 1950's car with wings. It was a very different sensation than boarding with KLM, and as the four of us squashed into the tiny cockpit (Clay had briefed us on how to open the door in case of a crash landing) I tried to fight the instinct to run off and hide in the hangar! I needn't have worried though, as Claython showed all the professionalism of an experienced pilot, making sure that we were all prepared for take off. Before I had time to think about it we were suddenly in the air, with our pilot chatting confidently away to the air-traffic control guys in the Schiphol tower, on the off-chance they would grant us permission to fly low over Amsterdam. It worked like a dream, and before we knew it we were pointing out the landmarks over the City. It was such a surreal experience to be so close to the rooftops and to pick out small details you never see from the height of a big aircraft. I found myself getting a little bit nervous as the plane swung from left to right, with Claython asking us all to keep our eyes peeled for other air traffic! It was far too much fun to be scared for long though, and as we left Amsterdam to head up North I relaxed and watched the sun break through the clouds. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
We headed across Purmerend and past Hoorn (where I even got the chance to take the controls for a while) towards Den Helder and the Frisian island of Texel, which by this time was bathed in some beautiful late-afternoon sunshine. Here Claython got to perform his first landing on a grass runway. Impressively, he managed to deal with cross-winds and soggy grass and we touched-down without problems. After a brief stop to complete the paperwork we were up in the air again and racing against the clock to get back to Lelystad before sunset, where Claython impressed us all again with a fantastically smooth touch-down.
An afternoon that I certainly will never forget. Thanks Claython, looking forward to the next flight! All photos here.
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