Escape the Political Chaos!
Keep Calm and Carry on Flying!
I emigrated to France almost 10 years ago in search for better flying weather and to enjoy other mountain related activities. Prior to that I lived in Spain for 8 years running SkySchool. It’s therefore safe to say that I am fairly removed from British politics. Flying attracts people from all backgrounds and for this reason I have tried to keep SkySchool as apolitical as possible. However, earlier this month, politics directly affected SkySchool for the first time, much to my initial frustration.
I emigrated to France almost 10 years ago in search for better flying weather and to enjoy other mountain related activities. Prior to that I lived in Spain for 8 years running SkySchool. It’s therefore safe to say that I am fairly removed from British politics. Flying attracts people from all backgrounds and for this reason I have tried to keep SkySchool as apolitical as possible. However, earlier this month, politics directly affected SkySchool for the first time, much to my initial frustration.
Johnny Mercer, the current Minster for Veterans Affairs, had managed to secure Government support for a Paramotor trip to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. However, 10 days before we were due to depart, Prime Minster Rishi Sunak announced his decision to hold an election. Suddenly all of the plans we had put in place counted for nothing as Johnny was no longer permitted to travel. This was followed by seemingly endless doom and gloom stories in the press about the current political situation, both in the UK and worldwide. Then, as if to add fuel to the fire, President Macron decided to hold elections in France as well. Let’s not get started on what’s happening across the pond in the USA!
As you know from my last blog we decided to go ahead with the Normandy trip anyway and it was a huge success. For me, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly over these historic locations while some of the last remaining soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians who bore witness to these terrible events were still alive. It really brought home to me how fortunate we are to live in these times, even if the world seems to be going to shit!
In times of political instability, like now, there is a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD for those in the crypto space). This leads to indecision around nearly every aspect of life as people wait to see which way the dice are going to land. However, by having a proverbial bird’s eye view of the madness you quickly realise that there is nothing you or I can do about it, so why worry?! Instead, I firmly believe we should focus on the things we can control and for me that’s making the most of my passion for flying, while sharing it with other people. I’m therefore very glad that people are continuing to take advantage of the current fantastic flying weather in the UK, which, similar to politics, is extremely fickle and out of our control.
When people ask me, 'why do you fly?' I usually reply, 'when I'm flying, I'm not thinking about the mortgage.' Maybe I should update it to, 'when I'm flying, I'm not thinking about the current political chaos.’ So in true British fashion, I implore you all to 'Keep Calm and Carry on Flying!'
