Some time in the mid 1980’s I was booked on a Short Skyvan from East Midlands airport down to Gatwick to catch an ongoing fight to who knows where.
After boarding it soon became apparent that I was the only passenger. A curtain was all that separated the flight deck from the cabin & after a few minutes the single pilot parted the curtain, leaned through and invited me to sit up front.
Next thing I knew we had started engines and taxied out for take off.
Once we had settled into the cruise he asked if I would like a go at flying the aircraft, I told him as an ex RAF ground crew I knew the basics, but was no pilot. But I duly kept it pointing in the right direction for most of the flight and we swapped all sorts of stories along the way.
Thankfully he did take over for the approach & landing into Gatwick where we bid each other farewell after what was, for me at least, an amazing flight, which is unlikely to be repeated.