Epic fail

i've had the aborted landing thing once. waiting for the bump of touch down only to hear the engines scream back up again. pilot just said "let's try that again."

It's shocking and reassuring at the same time to know how much abuse planes can take (there are videos of destructive tests on you tube). I did my work experience at Shorts Aerospace in Belfast where they put together lear jets. The wings on those are only held on my 6 bolts. big fuck off bolts but still only 6 of them.

Touching down in a field in Helmand, after having to abort the first landing because there was still shooting on the ground, and being the in the first pair of blokes out of he back of the chinook.
Down on one knee into a field full of poppies and surprisingly soft earth. All I could think was "mum would love to have a cutting of one of these.."