Bird's Eye View

After many monotonous flights recently in Boring 737s, it was great fun to include 4 flights on propellor planes during my trip to Shetland - on a Dash 8 between Manchester and Aberdeen, and a Saab 340 between Aberdeen and Sumburgh.


The flight home from Aberdeen yesterday was particularly good due to the storms covering most of Northern England and Scotland. Sitting right under the wing, I could see the spray generated by the wheels on the runway as we took off, and that great moment as the hydraulics of the undercarriage stretch as far as they can in an effort to remain earthbound, until finally the upward thrust is too great, and the wheels leave the ground.

Once in the air, we were buffeted about like a small gull caught in the wind. We had a small period of respite once we cleared the clouds and headed over the ocean, but as soon as we came back over land the winds hit again with full force.