AERIAL ACROBATICS

I saw a plane doing acrobatics today. I checked it on FlightRadar; I’m pretty sure it was a little Piper type PA aircraft. Though, from a distance, it looked a bit like an old biplane.

I don’t know what those manoeuvres are called. I had a friend once who was really into aviation, and he knew his victory rolls from his hammerheads, but honestly, I recognised a loop-the-loop, and that was about it.

At one point, the little plane soared vertically up into the air, twisting against the clouds, and then it hung there for a half-second. I think the pilot turned off the engine.

Gravity took over. The tiny plane started plummeting at speed. At the last minute, the engine spluttered into life, the plane levelled out, and they were off for another loop. I had no doubt the pilot knew exactly what they were doing, but nevertheless, it is a bit of a heart-stopping moment.

Like when your friend announces they’re suddenly going to try left-foot braking while you’re a passenger. Or a no-hands-wheelie with you perched on the handlebars. That kind of youthful adrenaline I don’t think I need.

That being said, there was something very exciting about watching it from down below: the deliberate act of shutting down your engines and trusting yourself to gravity for a few seconds; the utter faith in your plane starting up while you dive, and then the similar faith in yourself being able to pull out of it, lest you be dashed to smithereens and ending up as the second headline on the BBC News.

The more I stood there watching, the more I thought about it - that mix of trusting you and trusting something outside of you is a great picture of faith. It’s not relying on God to do everything for you, and it’s not leaning on just your ability either: it’s a delicate balance of plane and pilot, engine and training, gifting and wisdom.

I stood out there for a while, watching FlightRadar and listening out for other passenger planes on their way to Rome, Dublin, Bermuda, and a few other far-flung locations. A Honda HA-420 flew over at what the site told me was 9,000 ft: a private jet no doubt - a little tube of comfort and stress. I sighed.

I’d much rather be doing the loop-the-loop, I think.