Man has always been obsessed with flying. The mythical and legendary history of flying dates back to mimicking birds with feathered wings. In the attempt to fly and reach the stars, man jumped to his death from towering heights. Wright brothers in 1903 were the first to invent aircraft controls, that made fixed - wing powered flights possible.
In modern aviation the airlines today are competing for space in air. Now man shuttles beyond earth and flies to space. As children we often dreamt of floating and flying. We grew idolizing the flying Superman. Flying kites is another popular sport for children and adult. Bungee jumping gives a sense of flying to the more adventurous young. Milkha Singh, the Indian Olympian athlete was nicknamed "The Flying Sikh" and we do nominate success with the phrase, "Flying High".
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My first domestic flying experience was in the year1990, when I flew from Mumbai to Baroda. I was excited and my friends with previous flying history did little to curb my anxiety. The rumble start of the aircraft engine had my adrenaline rush to that of a pumping station. Before I could realize, this huge machine was swimming in the clouds. I felt like a suspended particle in the air. This was no less than a dream. As an obedient student I kept firm to my safety belt staring at the smiling air hostess. Good things are for a short while and the plane soon landed with a thud. I had disembarked from my first flying experience.
My first international flight was in the year 1994. I flew from Mumbai to Dubai with the Maharaja hospitality in Air India. The flight was full with expat workers perhaps flying for the first time. They had dreams and had left their shores for a better tomorrow in Dubai. There was a Gulliver look on every face, an amalgamation of anxiety, excitement and a purpose to succeed.
Flying has shrunk distances. A morning coffee in Mumbai, a lunch in Dubai and dinner in Frankfurt would have made Wright brothers proud. The "no frills" air lines are today making flying more affordable. The modern flying machines are more pampering with luxuries as they fly skywards. Technology has gifted man with wings and he flies at his will.
It is not that all is well in the air. The infamous Concorde crash left the Concorde's supersonic legacy grounded. Air crafts crashes and failures have often nicknamed the carrier as "killer machines" leaving behind the "black box" and the dead. Flying failures indicate that there are quite a few snags to be ironed out.
Bigger is better to swipe sky miles. I fastened my seat belt on the super jumbo jet emirates flight for a take off to a new destination. It was not very long ago in 1994, when I was learning to fly. How will we fly in future? With technological evolution taking a quantum leap, your guess is as good as mine. The science-fiction-like pilotless flying bodies will dress up the sky. We will rub our shoulders with the "unidentified flying objects" (UFO). I may fly a car while you honk at me in air traffic. Life is not going to be easy with air speeding fines. Fasten your seat belts.
S.P Singh
Fair & Square