Late 50s, a Deux-Ponts generated a foolish momentary 'mole-skin trousers' moment.
Doing a supernumerary check ride on a Bev, heading home over France. Very strong and variable headwind at 8k- ish, so the reporting point estimates became extended and changeable. An Air France D-P was reporting 10 minutes behind us at the same level and I followed his progress. We were flying in and out of cloud tops with thicker scattered banks above. Nav started muttering about "
headwinds" messing up his calculations and
added 6minutes, or so, to the next RP time. Heard nothing similar from the D-P and, out of interest, climbed onto the astrodome step and looked rearward. There was a full moon, and at the precise moment that I peered out, this great blazing light appeared between the tailfins, bearing down on us. ... or so my idiot brain translated what it saw. .. the D-P having, miraculously, caught up on us !!!
...
In the
real world, a break in the upper cloudbank had exposed the full moon, but in the 2-3 seconds before realisation, 'half-a-crown/sixpence' became uncontrolled currency !!
Idle minds in active aircraft are not to be recommended !
