Ken,
Frederick Forsyth must have had that Vampire T11 in mind when he wrote “The Shepherd”
Aeropostale was an incredible operation, but in Sainte-Exupery’s book “Wind, Sand and Stars” where he writes extensively about Aeropostale in its infancy he wrote:
“One must remember, navigating by the compass and the stopwatch above cloud over the mountains (of Spain) is all very well, but below the sea of cloud lies eternity”
As you say, it is surprising what you can get away with - some of the time!