Flights that have impressed you the most.

[Alisoncc]

When I thought about this topic I was inclined to write "Flight" singular not "Flights" plural. But then couldn't decide which one of mine to write about. So changed it to Flights.

Most impressive was in a Mighty 10, a chartered troop ship out of Gatwick to Bahrain 1965. The pilot pulled the nose up, applied full power, and to my mind back then climbed almost vertically. There was uproar in the cabin as everyone clapped or hooted in encouragement. For those unfamilar with the phrase "Mighty 10", it was the VC10.

Alison

[boing]

A return flight to Lake Taupo airfield in NZ in a Cessna 206 after a hiking trip in the mountains.

The field, located on a hillside above the lake, was IFR in low clouds but we managed a VFR climb uphill from the Lake to the threshold. First time I have climbed to a touchdown.

Great one Chris, hope you and Arthur are both well.

.

[henry crun]

A flight from Laarbruch to the IoM and back in a Canberra PR7. We took pics of an aircraft carrier on its way to be scrapped. I remember crouching beside the pilot and looking up at the carrier. Next I was collapsed on the uncomfortably folded temporary seat as we unexpectedly pulled round to photograph the other side. "You went down at four and a half gee" said the pilot. Most of the flight was spent prone with my head out in the nose dome, looking down at the English countryside, with a pre-google view of airfields full of V-bombers as we passed over them at 36,000 ft. The final descent was painful, the fillings in my teeth blew in and my sinuses suffered, finally giving way when I dived into the airbase pool the next day.

Flying into the New World at night over the Bay Area, where I was to make my home for the next few years. Just magical seeing all those lights spread out along the bayshore. In 747SP Clipper Kit Carson.

[CharlieOneSix]

Continuing the carrier on its way to be scrapped theme, in 1979 I was flying a Bolkow 105 helicopter on my own from Shoreham to Cornwall for the inauguration of a short lived base in Falmouth. As I passed Plymouth I spotted the Ark Royal at anchor - the mighty proper carrier not the little one recently scrapped - waiting for her final journey the following year on the tow to the scrappers at Cairnryan.

I couldn't resist doing a slow and very low pass along her flight deck, such a sad, empty, lifeless, soulless hulk - nothing like the happy ship that I had joined 14 years before as a brand new 20 year old helicopter pilot. Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Fremantle, Mombasa, Aden, Suez Canal, Gibraltar - all those places courtesy of a great lady. Glad I was on my own that day in 1979 as with a lump in my throat I couldn't help but shed a small tear as I climbed away, never to see her again.

[Shaggy sheep driver]

Concorde G-BOAD August 1999 Manchester to Paris via Bay of Biscay for 60,000' and M2. I was in the jumpseat with a superb view (inside and out!) for the entire flight. Marvellous! Thank you Captain Roger Mills!

[Capetonian]

Flying across the Andes from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile (or it could have been the other direction) in the cockpit of a Lufthansa 747 on a crystal clear day, the captain banking slightly to give us all views of Aconcagua and the rest of the Cordillera.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

It's hard to pin down one. I remember vividly lots of moments, including:

Peeling off CAP after a supersonic intercept and doing my first no-comms night tanking* on exercise - it was just amazing that the entire system worked. You were now a reliable part of The Machine. The Rooskies would lose if they tried anything.
Low level down Loch Etive at dawn on a crystal-clear, calm day. The loch surface was invisible.
Looking straight up through the canopy above 50,000 ft and seeing stars in the daytime.
Jumping into a jet at short notice at Deci to get my nav back to the UK to see his first child born. He beat his MIL to the hospital.
Flying the Cranwell Tiger Moth over rural Lincolnshire in November, and undergoing a total timewarp since nothing visible had changed since the aircraft was built. I even had a leather helmet on.
Having my Civvy Instrument Rating Examiner in the States tap the dials (with a grin) as they appeared to be stuck on the required numbers.
Heading west at sunset, stuffing the 'burners in and making the Sun come up again.

*The refuelling pod had a 'traffic-light' system on the back

[A Lutra Continua]

Solo navs. Bimbling along with a pizza on the seat beside me and a couple of cans of soda water.

Out of Loki when the Buffalo above and behind me said there was a jet fighter on my tail. Silly bugger spoke in English so the fighter peeled off and ducked into the cloud. If he'd said so in Afrikaans we may have been able to paint a kill on the Mighty Twotter with a bit of low cunning and subterfuge.

Landing in shallow ponds and watching schools of fish swim away from the wheels while taxiing. Sticking the Mighty Twotter into cleared 250m strips in minefields to extract silly buggers who'd trodden on one. Bored out of my tree flying C130s with a bunch of air farce heroes after that.

[om15]

On the jump seat of a cargo Electra en route to Edinburgh late evening, the sun going down behind the Forth Bridge as we descended down the Firth, everything a fantastic evening red.
Last autumn, coming back from a job in a Jetranger, going low down the river Wye through the forest of Dean and seeing Tintern Abbey from the air, autumn colour everywhere.
Hoping the best one is yet to come.

[TWT]

Goodyear Blimp.I was with a presenter and a cameraman ( me being the tech responsible for microwave video links and comms).This for a number of live to air TV crosses from the blimp.The gondola was surprisingly small given the size of the airframe.Takeoff was astonishing.The handlers let go of the ropes,the Porsche engines wound up and we were skimming across the grass very quickly.THEN,the pilot pulled back on the stick hard(I assume it was a stick and we tilted up to what seemed like a 45 degree angle (AoA).I had to hold on as it rocketed skywards ! Very sporty indeed.It was a brilliant 3hr flight and the lights of the city looked absolutely stunning.Once established in the cruise after takeoff it was much more genteel as we wafted along.

And a day in the RHS of a Cessna Citation Bravo as pax.It was a flight put on by a winery,who owned the Citation,to ferry a bunch of us 1000ks and back to their main winery to do a site survey for an event.I especially enjoyed the synthetic automated checklist voice and the 'Pull up,Terrain' warnings as we approached the dirt strip.The pilot warned me this would happen because this strip was a private one not in the database of the FMS.

[CharlieOneSix]

Back sometime in the very late 1970's I was between tasks and lounging around the Rolls Royce crewroom at East Midlands when their test pilot Cliff Rogers was preparing to practice his Gulfstream G2 air display (or maybe it was a G3, I can't remember). I think it was for a forthcoming display at Hamburg on behalf of Gulfstream. I took up the offer of going along and made the mistake of sitting in a sideways facing seat - he pulled quite a lot of g. An amazing display and I remember at one point looking down the wing at the East Midlands grass thinking that the tip wasn't that far above it. It occurred to me that Cliff might be thinking he was flying the RR Spitfire display, it was so energetic.

[limeygal]

Coming back from Muscat to Bahrain. About 11 in the morning. Coming in for final approach, the Captain banks around and there before me is the entire island of Bahrain. Sea is a bright blue and the island is bathed in sunshine. Fabulous!!

[Ex-Ascot]

Only just seen this thread. Thank you Alison. The 'shiny' 10 was a great aircraft.

SSD Roger Mills used to be one of our drop pilots at Weston on the Green. Kept a Harvard near New York. Would go for a buzz in the afternoon after landing. Dinner bed and back in time for lunch in the UK

I can't answer this thread. Just so many great flights.

Flew the VC10 down the Grand Canyon a couple of times. Chopper rides in the Delta here at about 10' are also exciting.

[TWT]

Ride in an AS355 with ex-military pilot about 3 metres above the water.The length of Warragamba Dam (Sydney) on a beautiful Saturday morning.Both of us had the same employer.Of all the helicopter pilots I flew with,he gave me the most confidence.He was never a showoff,just very competent.That much was obvious.Plus he was a great bloke with a wicked sense of humour.He has retired from flying now.That's all I'm saying

[Rossian]

....... A whole morning with No.6 as they did a full display practice over Trevose Head(Cornwall) followed by a low level tour of the north Cornish coast in and out of all the little bays with 9 Fouga Magisters in close formation doing their own publicity for the following days airshow at St Mawgan. Magic!!
On a par with an afternoon wellying around the Highlands in a Jag with the boss of the unit. I was rubbish at trying to land it at Lossie.
I'd like a ride in a Typhoon please. Pretty please.

The Ancient Mariner

[dubbleyew eight]

coming back to australia from america a few months after 9/11.
flight was salt lake city to los angeles on southwest airlines.
pilots were a pair of lovely women. cuties.
coming in from the south of LA at what looked to be 5 thousand feet, there way below us off in the distance was a Qantas 747 making a 3 degree approach.
that girl did the most amazing descent, smooth as anything but plumbers tool bag in nature.
we landed beside the qantas 747 on left and right runways.
neatest piece of flying I've seen from the back.

[Fliegenmong]

Oh dear..where to start....you all have so much more to offer!!!

Several Jumpseat rides into Kai Tak....'nuff said!

Flying an Austflight A582 'Drifter' along the Coomera river with an eagle off my starboard wing 'eyeing' me off..

Paxing an empty QF 747SP, the crew were virtual family...anything we wanted!

Winter Sunset flying a model piper Cub with my Son when he was so much younger....

Staff QF Business class LAX-NYC .....'Mr XXXX' So and so sends you his greetings....Nice..

Amazing amounts of free French Champagne as gifts from those in the know....

First Solo....of course...

Overflying SEQ at 5000ft, with RAAF F-111s passing underneath...

Nothing like FOX though.50 thou, and seeing stars in daylight...wow!!