As we climbed into the morning sky, the air was still. It was a perfect day for flying. The sun, rising slowly, dappled the lochs and glens with the shadows of the myriad mountains. It could have been a painting, but it wasn’t. It was far better than that. Our first flight would only take 30 minutes if all went well - which, of course, it did. We are such pessimists, always planning for the worst, but things rarely go wrong, and our preparation often seems to be for nothing.
Our three flights today were nicely spaced. We enjoyed a coffee whilst planning the second flight, taking the opportunity to brief the peculiarities of our next destination. As the day progressed, an easterly zephyr stirred into life. On the ground, this would be a welcome relief from the heat of the summer sun. For us, it was just another of the many variables we consider for an approach and landing. Now, at nearly two o’clock in the afternoon, all the early morning clouds had gone, a steady breeze was blowing, and the temperature was in the low twenties. My friend, Andrew, was in the captain’s seat and I was sitting to his right, watching him fly. We hadn’t known each other long, but his methodical attitude was one which made me feel comfortable. It wouldn’t be long before we would be back on the ground. As we started our descent, I allowed myself a brief distracting thought, I can see why Yorkshire folk call this God’s own country. The rolling hills look beautiful on a fine sunny day. A few minutes later, with the breeze steady from ahead and to our left, we were focused on our approach to land. Suddenly, a single, deafening metallic thump interrupted our concentration. Andrew applied power, raised the nose, and tried to ease the aircraft toward the safety of the sky. Simultaneously, taking his eyes off the flying, he turned to me.
“What’s happened?” he asked. His face had turned white. That unnerving bang was the starting pistol for one of the most intense periods of flying I had ever experienced. If we were to survive, forty years of training, practice and experience would be brought to bear in the next forty minutes.
For decades, the airline captain has been………………………………