Over the sky towards the stars, my lord

Fighter pilot training.

Nighttime test flying is one of the greatest thrills a pilot can have. The sensation of security in the sense of wellbeing is the finest feeling they know. Helmet well down around the head, ear clocks on, oxygen mask fastened round the face. Completely encapsulated into the seat with seatbelts tightened safely into the seat, while all systems go, checklists in process, the lights on the panel confirming all systems go, instrument panel lighting blinking at them and as they start the engines. then pressure indicator system starting to count. The feeling is singularly of complete wellbeing.

"You are in full control of the whole machinery all by yourself, no one else to consider. You are the captain of you aircraft and captain in your life. There are no one else with you and its all down to you. The airplane is an extension of your own nervous system and your sensory nerve cell fibres reaches all the way to the tip of the wings and all the way back to your tail. You are nicely tucked into the cockpit and like a butterfly larvae in its cocoon you are waiting to get wings in the air. All systems go; you have every 11 buttons on your stick in your right hand in your spinal cord. Your goal and your target are all confirmed for the a flight

The sky is black and the instructions from the tower comes trough the earclocks: Tiger 11 Clear to taxi! On the runway waiting to clear, throttle on, full power, breaks on , afterburner and breaks off. Roooaaarrrrrrr!
At 180 miles per hour lift off , climbing, weels tucked in under the belly, the runway disappearing below.

The tower: PER ARDUA AD ASTRA DOMINE!(Over the sky towards the stars my lord)

This is as good as it gets, you and the night sky and designated altitude.

Later when you work for the commercial airline industry you can climb out on a dark and rainy November morning and once you are above the clouds the sky is always blue and the sunrises, well just imagine…. or leaving Copenhagen at night time and see the lights of Brussels at 30000 feet before you start descending, just gorgeous.

Flying is nice work if you can get it, but you can't do it from home unless you have a flight simulator on your computer at home of course.