Flying high........

Oh wow! I won another lottery this morning - I think!!!

Yvonne called me up for the third time in recent weeks.

This time Julian had had to change his planned flying lesson because the weather up round Paraparaumu where he'd intended going, was just too rough. Instead, he was just going to do a nice short flight - 20 minutes each way plus some faffing around time. There was a spare seat and would I like to join them? The only thing - if I wanted to, Yvonne would be round to pick me up in 10 minutes! OK.....no worries.....I'm in :)

Get to airport - beautiful, calm weather - lovely take-off - gorgeous flight following the coast north towards D'Urville Island, which begins to look a little cloudy, as you can see from the pic.

Julian and instructor, Dave, decide that a practice approach to the Island's airstrip is in order..........no worries at all until Yvonne and I discover what this means in 'real' terms..........

Steep, banking turn, de-powered engine (sounded to me like it was going to stall!), being jostled over a hillside on the approach by the flukey winds, fly towards vertical hillside to create space, another steep, banking turn, head towards airstrip............Talk about a white knuckle ride.......!!

Julian completes the manouvere and pulls up quickly (didn't actually want to land - only practice the approach).............and just when my stomach was sliding off the ceiling back to where it should be, Dave asks Julian if he'd like to do it again?!? Julian was loving it!!!! So we went through it all a second time! Yvonne and I compared notes and feelings through sign language - sweaty palms, somersaulting stomachs, sky-high heart rates........

The flight back down the coast was superbly unspectacular!! Just a lovely flight looking at beautiful scenery from a totally different perspective.......but my legs still felt like jelly when I got out of the plane!!!

Another superb opportunity which I'm so glad I took. Thank you once again Julian and Yvonne :) Dinner at my place one day soon when you're free :)