Taking off

Ultralight takeoff, Baisy-Thy, Belgium, circa 1985.

Taking off

The contraption resembled a lawnmower hung from a delta’s wing. My mate Luc, a daredevil but amazing microlight pilot, wanted to know if I would like it as much as he does, or if I would be scared or God knows what. The prairie flew by under our bums at a mindboggling speed, then suddenly we were climbing, into the fog, through the clouds -we were soaked- then abruptly above those clouds, under bright blue skies, in full sunshine. It felt odd to be outside, vaguely sitting on this thingy, alone above the clouds, as crazy as Icarus. Once landed, I thanked Luc and told him that it was an extraordinary experience. “How would you know?” he answered disappointedly. “You were behind your camera, taking photos.”