HEARTFELT GRATITUDE to all of our wonderful friends and family for your donations.

The challenge proved to be a magnificent way in which to celebrate the life of my Father. As for how the day panned out........

We were blessed with a particularly warm day and best of all, wind! Wind equals turbulence, which adds to the thrill of riding atop these bi planes. There is an air of nostalgia upon entering the gates of Rendcomb Airfield. The sound of the bi plane engines overhead and zig zag of smoke trails across the sky gives you goose flesh, it's exciting. You just want to hurry up and join the show. The enthusiasm of both the expert pilots and exceedingly talented professional wing walking ladies is positively infectious.

We started to feel the part once we were decked out in the bright red flying suits. When you are strapped to the top, you might think you have no control over matters. Well, that's not strictly true. A thumbs down indicates to the pilot that it's curtains and you wish to land. Nobody does that!

It's a beautiful grassy runway that stretches out before you. The sound of the propellers and smell of fuel builds the suspense. It's remarkable how quickly these planes take off. As the plane climbs in altitude, you know you are travelling at speed. Because the wind rushing past your ears, is deafening. But you forget all about that as you are presented with the most stunning view. Everything becomes brighter, sharper and more focused. You take in every detail.

It was like being in a Bond movie, I kid you not. Brian was upsides me, his arms waving like a windmill. Then we performed several rises and falls in quick succession. It was as though we were riding over imaginary speed bumps. The planes gained altitude and beneath me I could see the shadow of my plane and Brian's plane underneath mine. We climbed higher and higher. All that lay before us was the blue expanse of sky. It got icy cold too. We were vertical. The G force is tremendous. Then the plane felt like it had stopped. It was totally silent and very still, yet we were in fact travelling at that point at 40 mph! It felt like we were just hanging out in the sky, motionless, as though nothing existed anymore. Next, the plane dived towards earth. No longer did we feel attached to the planes. We were completely weightless and falling rapidly. Then, my plane dipped sharply right, and Brian was flying towards me in a game of chicken. A smoke trail plumed behind his plane and as he flew past I could smell the smoke. It was awesome. We were both giggling. It's your show and it's captivating. You feel alive. We were strapped to those planes for all of 23 minutes. It changes your perspective. All the cobwebs are blown away.

If you enjoy roller coasters, then this ride is for you. You know you want to, so go on, do it!
https//www.aerosuperbatics.com/

Thank you for all your funny messages on the day. Rest assured the Go Pro videos are on their way.
Thank you to Aerosuperbatics for permitting a formation flight.
Thank you to St Nicholas Hospice Care for letting us run with our dreams.
Thank you to my Father for asking me to fundraise.
Thank you to Brian for being such a happy rock.