Glider
I have an intense dislike of flying .... at least in jet aircraft.
I am not sure that this constitutes a fear of flying, since there are other means of flying which I have enjoyed.
I think I have more of a philosophical objection to the concept.
With a jet you take a very large and heavy object; equip it with wings that only marginally help it to stay in the air; attach two or more jet engines to it; send it speeding down a very long runway, where it then hurls itself into the air, a place where it only remains for as long as the engines continue to function.
If the engines fail it tends to fall out of the sky at a very rapid pace, terminated by a large hole in the landscape where it finishes it's "flight".
Basically, I consider the idea of flying in a jet aircraft to be an insane concept .... one I have done when I needed to, but not something I have ever enjoyed.
Conversely I have flown in a single engine Cessna aircraft and enjoyed the process.
Certainly the engine can die, but the aircraft is at least aerodynamically "sound" and, if the pilot is any good and luck is with you, you can land safely.
However, the flight I most enjoyed was in a glider - or, as my pilot pointed out, a sailplane.
Apparently the purist views a "glider" as something which simply "starts" out at some point (in the air - more on that shortly) and glides back to earth.
A sailplane, once it is in the air, can ride the air-currents all day long, rising and falling in a beautiful "dance".
We have a friend name Rod who is a qualified pilot, and he invited Sue and me to visit the Benalla Gliding Club, in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, and fly with him.
The "airfield" looks more like a paddock, and is a large, open, grassed area where sailplanes can safely take off and land.
We flew in a plane with a cockpit that seats two, with the person who knows what they are doing sitting in the back and the passenger sitting in front of them.
[Maybe this arrangement is so the pilot can "clobber" .... sorry, calm ... the passenger if they become too agitated/obstreperous during the flight??]
The sailplane is attached to a powered aircraft by a long cable and, once pilot and passenger are settled, the powered aircraft tows the sailplane into the air. This part of the journey is rather rough - sailplanes do not have any suspension and the field over which you are being towed is just that ... a field - and a little noisy. When the desired altitude is reached the sailplane pilot can release the tow rope and the powered aircraft returns to earth. That is when the fun begins!
I had, perhaps unconsciously, thought that it would be totally quiet once the tether to the tow-plane was released, but of course it wasn't. You no longer have the noise of an aircraft engine, but there is the sound of the air around you as the sailplane moves through it, supported by it.
Nonetheless, there is the most incredible feeling of ... liberation perhaps? There is this wonderful view all around you and, unlike in a jet aircraft, you are relatively close to the ground so you can see so much more detail; both the world stretching away all around you, and the local scenery.
I was very lucky in that Rod allowed me to actually pilot the sailplane for a little while.
Under his instruction I made a number of gentle turns and, to the limit of what Rod would tolerate, I was in "control" of this beautiful creation.
[Of course this did cause some angst when I spoke to Sue later, after we had both had our flights, and it turned out that Rod had not offered her the chance to take control. Perhaps he was being a little sexist ..... of course, given how Sue drives a car .... hmmmm. Enough said!]
It was only a short flight, but it was so much fun. That feeling of liberation, of peace, of seeing the world, in a way, from a distance which leads to a larger than normal perspective on life in general.
Of course, you often see photos and movies from aircraft which provide that perspective; but actually being there, moving through the air like that, being immersed in the world from on high, is an incredible experience.
It is certainly one which I would like to repeat - although our friend Rod has now moved to Queensland, so that makes it a little more difficult to do.
Nonetheless, a wonderful memory.