Air Europe

Here is my latest video, to watch click on the link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7134W_G7Tpg

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Winter is all but here and the flying has thinned out, plus our video camera stopped working a while ago so I am out of footage to edit. No more clips until next season I guess.

I have always liked the music from the French duo Air. I first heard their songs on a cassette player in a German hire van in 2000 while traveling through Europe with two buddies; Mick and Al. We traveled through Austria, Italy, France and a little of Germany in the Buchbinder van with our hang gliders strapped to the roof. Mick had brought some really good music. Apart from Air I also remember listening to a lot of Tonic, The Verve and Powderfinger. Driving over the Ferker Pass in Switzerland at 2am under a full moon, along the Italian Aps or through Bavaria, there was almost always some music to accompany the moment. Sometimes it was front and centre and loud, other times it was subtle and quietly playing in the background, other times it was turned 'off'. We all had similar appreciation for the music and the appropriate time when to 'turn it up', turn it down', or to have none at all.

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Breakfast in a French B&B: bagettes, beurre frais, confiture, et cafe (bien sur).

It was my first taste of cross country flying and I had two very experienced and skilled mates to show me how it was done. For more than two months the three of us traveled through Europe flying at some very spectacular sites and meeting a lot of people along the way. I literally had about 5 inland flights under my belt when we took off in the 747 from Sydney, I had never been to Europe and we were going to some of the worlds best flying sites. But my inexperience didn't prevent me from realizing I was diving in at the deep end. I did however have a heap of hours flying on the coast and I was confident with launching and landing so I was thinking I was pretty safe. Besides, I had Mick and Al to help me out but nevertheless I was still filled with a lot of anticipation. And as traveling companions these two guys were the best.

Glienkersee, Windischgarsten, in Austria.

Mick is a very funny guy and we discovered his sense of humour transcended any language and cultural barrier. Many a night we found ourselves dining as guests of local pilots and often enough Mick had everyone in fits of laughter. He is a very skilled pilot and does everything with aplomb; aerobatics, crosscountry flying, instructing students, landing in a tight spot... You see him fly and something catches your eye. All of these photos are from Mick's photo album.

The LZ in front of the 'Flyers Bar' at the base of Kossen, Austria.

Al's dry sense of humour was a perfect counterpoint to Mick's flamboyant take on things. Al has been flying for decades and has achieved atleast one world first in a hang glider. He is a doctor by trade and speaks with a lot of understatement so it took me a while to really appreciate the exploits of his pioneering spirit. He was one of the first to open-up the reknown Borah/Manilla site in NSW but Al's most notable achievement took place in the 1990's when he was the first person to soar the morning glory in northern Australia. As we traveled from village to village, and flew each new launch, and as we met other European pilots I slowly recognised how inspirational Al's flights on the morning glory were to a lot of people around the world. The Europeans knew of Al and his unique flights long before we arrived and many rolled out the red carpet in honour of his accomplishment.

High over Larangne, France.

Those two months went by quickly. We flew as much as possible. Above central France, Larangne, and Chamonix in the French Alps; Bassano at the foot of the Italian Alps to Monte Cucco near the Mediterranean; to the top of The Wilder Kaiser, 'The Kings Teeth', in Kossen and Windischgarsten in Austria. We saw Europe from the air. We nearly lost Mick and Al forever due to some lethal, continental sized cloud suck over Castelluccio, Italy. I phoned my dad (who was in bed back in Australia) from 12,444' over France, a height I never ever dreamed of after only a few years of low altitude coastal flying. And there were so many more good times like these.

The sign says it all...

We, the three of us and everyone we met, were initially drawn together because of our common pursuit of flying but flying also served as the ice breaker. It was a common passion that quickly connected us to many other people. Experiencing the cultural differences was a unexpected reward for our travels and worth the trip on its own.

Soaring over Monte Cucco, Italy.

As the three of us meandered though Europe we left a wake of good times, spectacular flying and new friends. All the while Micks tapes filled der Buchbinder with memorable music where ever we went. Those songs and instrumental tracks still take me back to the places we visited and remind me of those special times.

I have combined the track All I Need with footage of a classic day of where it all began for me, soaring over the east coast of Australia.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7134W_G7Tpg

Air, their first album

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