Britain from Above - the nice thread...

[LLB]

I really, really wish Linford that you could just restrain yourself from being such a twat sometimes. You have your own thread on this subject to ride your favourite hobby-horses, so why start hijacking other people's with your utterly boring self-absorbed 'observations'? That was something for you to think about BTW, I don't think anyone wants another of your witless responses.

Back to the topic at hand...

So what you are saying is that I can't respond to a sarcastic post any more ?
Anyway Miloat is still sulking after he couldn't step up to the plate on the Bullbar thread after gobbing off so much in such a righteous manner - Note the sarcasm was started by him.

As for the utterly boring self-absorbed 'observations', you have made plenty over the years so 'pot and kettle' ?

 

[Arch]

ok, can we leave the arguing off this thread perhaps? Maybe I started it snapping at Crock, in which case I apologise... To be fair, I don't think Linf has started a rant here, so critisism is perhaps a little misplaced...

Is it a general trait to be fascinated by looking at places from above? If so, why? Is it just that it's something we can't do naturally, and the novelty of flight is yet to wear off? We had a book of photos of Britain from the Air at home, and I could spend ages looking at it - especially places I knew, spotting individual buildings... Same thing as looking at maps I guess.

The thing I liked best this week, was the Uffington horse. I've always loved that. And the thought of how they managed to make it, 3000 years ago, without the benefit of an aerial view. Although I've always assumed they did some sort of giant scaling up process, with squares, from a small drawing. Not beyond the maths of people who had been pointing monuments at a specific sunrise and so on for thousands of years....

 

[Melvil]

ok, can we leave the arguing off this thread perhaps? Maybe I started it snapping at Crock, in which case I apologise... To be fair, I don't think Linf has started a rant here, so critisism is perhaps a little misplaced...

Is it a general trait to be fascinated by looking at places from above? If so, why? Is it just that it's something we can't do naturally, and the novelty of flight is yet to wear off? We had a book of photos of Britain from the Air at home, and I could spend ages looking at it - especially places I knew, spotting individual buildings... Same thing as looking at maps I guess.

The thing I liked best this week, was the Uffington horse. I've always loved that. And the thought of how they managed to make it, 3000 years ago, without the benefit of an aerial view. Although I've always assumed they did some sort of giant scaling up process, with squares, from a small drawing. Not beyond the maths of people who had been pointing monuments at a specific sunrise and so on for thousands of years....

My girlfriend flew over Nazca in Peru and was similarly awestruck by that culture producing huge drawings and 'diagrams'. Apparently these could be seen from nearby foothills so they weren't working blind, so to speak. But it's still awesome...ancient culture still has a lot to teach us, methinks - if I was going to do do my degree again I think I would have chosen Classics.

 

[Dayvo]

My girlfriend flew over Nazca in Peru and was similarly awestruck by that culture producing huge drawings and 'diagrams'. Apparently these could be seen from nearby foothills so they weren't working blind, so to speak. But it's still awesome...ancient culture still has a lot to teach us, methinks - if I was going to do do my degree again I think I would have chosen Classics.

Indeed! These absolutely FASCINATE me!

http://www.archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/nazca-lines.html

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Is it a general trait to be fascinated by looking at places from above?

It might be widespread, but it's not universal. I was on a flight from Miami to DC when we had the most perfect spring day with limitless visibility. The route took us up the coast, which I know quite well and just love to look down and get a different perspective on places I'd been.

Unfortunately I didn't get a window seat, but as the lady on the outside of me seemed ensconced in her book, I asked if she wouldn't mind changing places (after giving her the full explanation, etc). I even turned on the Englishness, which normally works with southern matrons. But she refused, claiming she 'loved the view', but then didn't lift her fat snout out of the book until we arrived at the gate. Bitch.

 

[Dayvo]

. . . but then didn't lift her fat snout out of the book until we arrived at the gate. Bitch.

Just gob down her back when you're getting off. That's what I do someone I know does when someone else has been somewhat bastardish!

 

[sheddy]

Been on hols and managed to miss the BFA so far, but does anyone remember the Flight Over Spain TV series from yonks ago ?

 

[Melvil]

Indeed! These absolutely FASCINATE me!

http://www.archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/nazca-lines.html

I neglect to mention - she was fascinated with the lines 50% of the time - the other 50% she was desperately trying (and failing) not to puke as the light aircraft she was in pitched about all over the sky - some very powerful crosswinds and thermals over the nazca plains apparently!

 

[Arch]

It might be widespread, but it's not universal. I was on a flight from Miami to DC when we had the most perfect spring day with limitless visibility. The route took us up the coast, which I know quite well and just love to look down and get a different perspective on places I'd been.

Unfortunately I didn't get a window seat, but as the lady on the outside of me seemed ensconced in her book, I asked if she wouldn't mind changing places (after giving her the full explanation, etc). I even turned on the Englishness, which normally works with southern matrons. But she refused, claiming she 'loved the view', but then didn't lift her fat snout out of the book until we arrived at the gate. Bitch.

Oh, gosh, yes, I've not flown much, but I've been pretty much glued to the window when I have. Seeing Icebergs north of Canada was amazing....

And coming back, the first glimpse of Ireland, all those teeny higgledy piggledy fields, when our last land view had been the vastness of America. Almost made me cry!

Mind you, I even like the window seat on a train, I can't read, it makes me travel sick, so I just look out of the window. Was rewarded with a lovely field of sunflowers north of Peterborough last weekend.

 

[zimzum42]

Most flights to southern Africa are night flights, but if you get the chance of a day flight, take it, the Sahara is amazing!

 

[Dayvo]

There's a very large, heavy and expensive book with aerial views of our planet. Well worth buying/browsing through.

Here's a sample of some of the shots!

http://images.google.co.uk/images?h...&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title

 

[Headgardener]

Talking of views from aircraft I once flew over an active volcano in a four seater float plane while on holiday in New Zealand.

 

[Speicher]

Been on hols and managed to miss the BFA so far, but does anyone remember the Flight Over Spain TV series from yonks ago ?

Yes, I do remember that. It was wonderful. The commentator had a good voice as well, Mr Kevin Bouquet, IIRC.

 

[Globalti]

The most amazing things I've seen from plane windows:

On a SAA flight from Nairobi to JNB one clear morning the pilot got ATC permission to circle the crater of Kilimanjaro. He dipped the left wing and flew almost right round while we peered out of the window. In the photos I took you can even see the path up to the rim.

On a night flight over East Africa I saw dozens of little gold threads of light on the ground. Couldn't work out what they were until I realised they were bush fires.

On a flight from Lahore to Dhaka I was on the left of the plane; I saw a massive triangle of black rock with white streaks on the horizon and realised it must be Everest. May have been on the same flight, I saw about a dozen towering thunderclouds over the mountains, each one lit from inside by flashes of lightning, just like Chinese lanterns.

You can take a 1 hour "taster" lesson at your local airfield for around £145. We didn it recently from Blackpool, there are private operators all over the country. Flying over the Fylde and Morecambe Bay was fantastic. We even went inland and circled over our own house!

 

[LLB]

ok, can we leave the arguing off this thread perhaps? Maybe I started it snapping at Crock, in which case I apologise... To be fair, I don't think Linf has started a rant here, so critisism is perhaps a little misplaced...

Is it a general trait to be fascinated by looking at places from above? If so, why? Is it just that it's something we can't do naturally, and the novelty of flight is yet to wear off? We had a book of photos of Britain from the Air at home, and I could spend ages looking at it - especially places I knew, spotting individual buildings... Same thing as looking at maps I guess.

The thing I liked best this week, was the Uffington horse. I've always loved that. And the thought of how they managed to make it, 3000 years ago, without the benefit of an aerial view. Although I've always assumed they did some sort of giant scaling up process, with squares, from a small drawing. Not beyond the maths of people who had been pointing monuments at a specific sunrise and so on for thousands of years....

I think that an apology (or even a retraction) is too much to ask from FM after his misplaced venom ?