Monday 28 July 2008

Flying high - Victoria - Australia - Travel - theage.com.au


Self-confessed aviation nut Sheriden Rhodes takes a Boeing 737 for a joy flight and lives to tell this tale of derring-do.

I am at the controls of a 737. It's night time and runway 16 at Melbourne Airport is lit up like a Christmas tree. After going through our preflight checks, I push the throttle forward and with the accompanying roar of jet engines we race down the runway. At 140 knots I pull back the stick and we take off, banking gently to the left. Below us, Melbourne's southern suburbs are sleeping while ahead we can see the outline of the West Gate Bridge. The feeling of hurtling down the runway is exhilarating, while the actual take-off leaves my heart racing as we pull up the landing gear and track towards Sydney.

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