The first few are really just introductions to a plane and cockpit, a run-through of the basics; you’re taken up and brought back down. As we cruised at 3,500ft, I noticed my instructor was staring out the window into the sky above us. Once I’d figured out how to work the radio, I contacted air traffic control: “Emergency, emergency, emergency”, and told them who I was. For a while I flew the plane in circuits above the airport, familiarising myself with the controls and the sensations different movements bring. I’d fly us down towards the runway to get used to the experience, before pulling back to ascend into the air once again.

Source: The Guardian August 07, 2020 09:00 UTC