Link to Profile Semperoper, Dresden Sieg (auf dem Siegesäule), Berlin Brandenburg Tor, Berlin Skyline, Frankfurt am Main

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Really Honey, the Airplane Doesn't Know it's Above the Clouds

It also doesn't know when it is over water. The Partnerin, on the other hand does, and absolutely hates it when I fly over open water or above clouds. During the weekend we did a little bit of both on our way to the North Sea.

Yes, somewhere under that deck of clouds lies Hannover. It was otherwise a fairly sunny weekend in Germany, so I was flying VFR, which meant that I had to either go below or stay above the clouds. I decided I wanted to go through the Hannover airspace rather than around it, and the most likely way to get the blessings of ATC would be to stay high and out of the way of the airliners. In any case, Bremen Radar was very accommodative in both directions, but then again I did ask nicely.

That over there is Foehr, an island surrounded by a sea of mud called the Wattenmeer, which is the mud left behind as the North Sea retreats. This sort of mud is all around a number of these North Sea islets. I wanted to buzz out to Helgoland, but the 32 miles (48km) was just too much open water for the Partnerin. Hey, we will work up to these things ... I will get her to cross the Atlantic with me, some day.

And that is the isthmus connecting Sylt to the mainland, which gives a better view of the Wattenmeer. Not the best shots, but we are getting the Partnerin's tolerance for looking through a viewfinder up to snuff. She still hasn't been airsick, but the danger is ever present, so I don't want to push my luck ... she hates it when I seemingly let the airplane fly itself while I take photos, so she now insists on being the photographer. Oddly enough, she also feels safer when I am flying by hand rather than by Autopilot ... hmmm! I guess that is a compliment.

2 Comments:

Blogger C N Heidelberg said...

I think a lot of people dislike flying over water, but I never heard of disliking the clouds before! That's interesting! I guess it does give a certain sense of security to have solid ground in view. Sometimes I feel better with the clouds because it makes it seem like we're not so high when we can't see the ground! They look like a nice cushion. :) But they're kind of annoying if you want to see some cool stuff on the ground.

1:00 PM, May 15, 2008  
Blogger christina said...

You flew over Hannover and didn't land in our back yard for a little visit??

I totally get the Partnerin's discomfort - I don't do well in small planes either. Big ones are OK, but as soon as I can see out the window - no thanks!

1:22 PM, May 15, 2008  

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