Oh happy memories! On the day, I realised that I did not have any specs to examine the sun as the eclipse started. Solomnley, my wife opened a little used dressing table drawer and produced two of the sets of sun viewing specs we used in 1998 (or was it '99). In that year I carried out the same exercise in a trusty Partenavia with four others heading to the Cornish peninsula. All the danger areas were promulgated inactive so I had a free reign. Up to FL 100 and I made the cloud tops - just. I was dead lucky, an occluded front aligned N/S over Dublin had produced a very thin layer above me, much higher than I could reach, but as I approached Lands End an N/S break was seen in the sheet above so I turned south putting the almost totally eclipsed sun in the centre. We saw the lot - it is so eerie as darkness descends but being able to see the cloud sheet fully lit in the distance. As digital photography was not available I only have a movie of the entire experience so I have no photos to show, but when I divided the cost of hiring the aircraft between the five of us, it was much cheaper than a Concorde ticket. Calculation shows that at the probable speed of Concorde chasing the eclipse they got totality for only a few seconds longer than us and I couldn't enjoy the Champagne that the rest of my party did but it was an unforgettable once in a lifetime experience.
P.P.