In the jumpseat of Concorde G-BOAD, late summer 3 years ago, for the entire flight - pushback, 60,000 feet at mach 2.02, and descent and landing. An absolutely unforgettable experience.
When flying as P1? Crickey, there are so many, including, as someone else said, first aeros sequence - in both Chippy and Yak.
But there are so many others........ I can't off hand think of one absolute highlight among so many super experiences, so here is a description of a flight that encapsulates for me the joy of what we do. I posted it elsewhere (not on PPRuNe) a while back. It describes a winter Chippy outing. It's a 'nothing special' flight, as many are, but pretty enjoyable despite that:-
Well cold at Barton this morning; the Chippy, always a reliable starter, wouldn't. After 40 minutes of priming, swinging, electric start, impulse mag checking, blowing out, priming again - we eventually prevailed upon the Engineers for help, and Tom (the chief spanner man) said "hold up the tail". With some difficulty, two of us raised the tail to the flying (level) attitude, Tom primed the engine, we put the tail down, and she started first swing. "Prime was only reaching the back cylinder" said Tom as he walked off.
Runway 27N in use, so off I went west, then down the LLR noting the high groundspeed readout on the Pilot111 once southbound. Out over Shropshire into a very bright low sun and up to 4000 feet to catch the tailwind and do a few loops and rolls - magic! Shawbury unmanned, so no hassle of vectors around military helos - just keep a good lookout and enjoy! North of Telford
let the height bleed off, down to 1500, call Sherlowe Strip. Bob answers on the handheld. Feather off the power for a nimby-friendly steepish glide from wide downwind around the farms and scattered houses (Bob's got anti-flyer problems in the vicinity) to a silky touchdown onto 33, then power on to keep it rolling up the grass slope to the clubhouse. Swing around, switches off, prop clanks around a few revolutions flickering in the glare of the
sun. Then silence; just the whining of the gyros and the tinking and plinking of cooling metal.
A warm welcome from Bob. A cup of tea in the clubhouse and a chat about his campaign for survival of this glorious rural haven in the shadow of the Wrekin - and then we're roaring up 33 again, airborne before the level section of the runway and immediate neighbour-friendly steepish left turnout over the western boundary, waving to Bob by the clubhouse. Up to 3000 feet
past Sleap, then some more aeros, letting it come down low by Rednal to see if Roger is there (he isn't) to cruise home on a low level sight-seeing tour. From 800 feet and looking downsun the beech woods cast long shadows across frosty-white Shropshire fields. Every hill and undulation is side-lit and picked out in relief in the golden winter sun - even the sheep each cast a shadow several times the length of the animal. Sleeping villages with
golden stone churches, flashes and meres, the lonely remote Whixal Moss, secret pools in the middle of a wood, grand country houses and estates, lonely farms, occasional main roads with beetling traffic, white finger posts at remote country lane junctions all sweep under the Chippy's wings.
Around the Peckforton hills and past the castle with a couple of sightseers looking up at this graceful red aeroplane. Around the end of Beeston hill with its castle, across to Oulton Park racing circuit, its cars no doubt roaring and squealing their way around the track but looking ludicrously slow and confined from the freedom of SL's speeding cockpit. A familiar voice from Manch Approach as we enter the LLR a clearance direct from Northwich to Barton gives us some unfamiliar countryside to look at from
above. Left base join for 32 at Barton, taxy in for fuel, then a nice hot cuppa and some all-day breakfast in the clubhouse (first food of the day) to thaw out. I love that Chippy - but a heater would be nice.
Aren't we lucky to be able to do this? Beats gardening or DIY (ugh!) any day.
SSD