There is no norm for flying, in my early days I flew regularly on 3 to 4 hour navex into the semi arid regions of South Africa and enjoyed the hours of droning engines and reassusrance that my well honed navigation would get me to some hamlet in the back of beyond.
These days it's an hours flight over the rubber plantations out to a tropical island airstrip for the $100 dollar handburger, except this is probably Nasi Goreng Kampung (Homestyle Fried Rice).
But last week I did the most fantastic trip of my life.
I took off from Cambridge Airport in a Northerly direction towards Waterbeach, a former home of 56 and 111 Squadron Hunters, a left turn towards Oakington, home of the Stirling Bomber and then on to Bourn, just across the road from the American Cemetary on Madingley Road. Maintaining a South Westerly direction we passed over Bassingbourn former home of the Canberra Bomber and then Royston came into view, had to steer to the East as some happy fellow was doing aerobatics to our right. A few minutes later we over flew Fowlmere and set ourselves up for a left hand downwind to Runway 24 at Duxford. A Harvard doing a run and break had us extend downwind, but very shortly we were on final approach for a touch and go, and then round again for a full stop.
A few minutes later I had secured the aircraft outside the WWII control tower and down the line from the B-17 Sally B.
Fifty minutes of flying and overflying a lifetime of memories.
Two days later I flew home, 12 hours 50 minutes in an A380, it wasn't the same.