The Incredible Art of Flying!

Try Throwing Yourself On The Ground…..

The ability to fly, in its most whimsical yet strangely profound form, lies not in the mastery of aerodynamics or the engineering prowess of man-made contraptions, but rather in the subtle art of defying gravity with a twist of perception.

It is an enigmatic knack, an elusive secret whispered through the ages, known only to those who dare to challenge the conventional boundaries of reality. To fly, one must possess the audacity to throw themselves upon the very ground they stand upon, and yet, in a paradoxical maneuver, miss.

It is not a feat of physical strength or the flapping of wings, but rather a dance with the unseen forces that govern our universe. It requires a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of mind and matter, of belief and manifestation. To fly is to embrace the notion that limitations are but illusions, and that the only true constraints are those we impose upon ourselves.

It is a liberation of the spirit, a soaring of the soul unfettered by the shackles of earthly constraints. To fly is to transcend the mundane and touch the infinite, to explore realms beyond the tangible and glimpse the vast expanse of possibility that lies just beyond the horizon. It is a journey into the unknown, a leap of faith into the boundless expanse of the cosmos.

And yet, for those who dare to dream, to believe, to take that leap of faith, the ability to fly becomes not just a fanciful notion, but a tangible reality – a testament to the power of human potential and the infinite possibilities that lie within each and every one of us.

The first thing about learning to fly is that this must never be tried without the active supervision of a trained teacher. The reason for this will become obvious in due course.

Ian Blenkinsop-Martin, one of the leading proponents of flying is often quoted as saying “There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, that presents the difficulties.”

 Flying is the action of being sustained above the ground without falling. Although considered one of several “recreational impossibilities”, there are numerous flying clubs and flying schools who operate throughout the U.K. who are trained to turn students to accomplished flyers who have learned to dispense with the adjective “impossible.”

Chapters 9,10 and 11 of the Airplane Flying Handbook published by the Federal Aviation Administration extensively covers the methodology and maneuvering and have successfully taught people how to achieve the skill, even nighttime operations.

This skill was originally developed during the Great War of 1914-1948 when British troops went out in late night operations bombing the Germans on the front line. It was estimated that they killed somewhere in the region of 5,000 troops by dropping several different types of ordinances.

The main ones utilized were the American Mark I, French VB rifle grenade with discharger, French Model 1916 Smoke and suffocating grenade, British Type No. 27 combination hand and rifle grenade (white phosphorus), French Model 1916 Lachrymatory and Irritating Grenade and French Model 1916 an amazingly incendiary grenade.

According to the Airplane Flying Handbook, and as already stated, the main thing that this type of flying requires is the ability to throw yourself at the ground and miss. It says you need to throw yourself forward with all your weight and “have the willingness not to mind that it’s going to hurt”, however it will obviously hurt if you fail to miss the ground. The difficulty is in missing the ground, and doing so accidentally, or deliberately intending to miss the ground” simply does not work.

“You have to have your attention suddenly distracted by something else then you’re halfway there, so that you are no longer thinking about falling, or about the ground, or about how much it’s going to hurt if you fail to miss it.”

Flying is notoriously difficult, which is why the majority of people fail and become disillusioned with this particular activity. However, flying can be accomplished if you find yourself distracted at the crucial moment of missing the ground, by things such as “a bomb going off in your vicinity”, or “suddenly spotting an extremely rare species of beetle crawling along a nearby twig”.

If you find yourself missing the ground completely and “bobbing just a few inches above the ground in what might seem to be a slightly foolish manner”, then this is the moment that requires the greatest concentration. The Handbook says to “ignore all considerations of your own weight” and to “simply let yourself waft higher” as you float above the ground.

The Handbook also advises not to listen to what others may say, as they could say something such as: “Good God, man, you can’t possibly be flying!”. It is vitally important not to believe them or they will suddenly be right, and you will find yourself failing to miss the ground once again.

The final piece of advice is to “try a few swoops”. and then to drift above the treetops, breathing regularly. It is also heavily emphasized to not wave at anybody.

The Guide gives only a small amount of information about how to land; saying that landing is something which can only be learnt properly with experience, and that you will almost certainly “mess up” on your first attempt.

Flight schools

There are private flying clubs which help fliers to cope with the all-important moment of distraction. They hire people with surprisingly ridiculous bodies of opinions that leap out from behind bushes and exhibit really mostly unimportant thoughts at the critical moment.

Only a few genuine flyers will be able to afford to join these clubs either as fully fledged members or creative “distractors”, but some may be able to get temporary employment in the latter.

The most popular and successful flying schools are:

The Brampton Mixed Flying School

Liverpool Flying School

R.A.F. Scrampton

RAF College Muscrampton

Manchester Aviation

All of the above schools will be happy to teach you all you need to know from the basics, outfitting, and critically not listening and therefore becoming a successful flyer.