My family is a military family, primarily involved with the Royal Air Force. I never really considered the idea of becoming a pilot or part of aircrew personnel until I was a teenager. Until then I was happy listening to my parents' stories about flying and life in the RAF while I played with toy planes and helicopters.
One year we were visiting friends up in Scottish Highlands, and we were buzzed by a jet fighter. Child me's mind couldn't quite remember what kind of plane it was, but looking up at it as it flew overhead and seeing the pilot look back and wave sparked something in me. Flying is a liberating thing: you can ditch everything down on earth and be alone with your thoughts flying however many hundreds of feet up. There's not much that can compare to the feeling that flight gives.

Close enough to what I can remember, this here pretty much captures the precise moment I decided that I wanted to become a pilot. I love it!

Artwork done by the awesome
Rud © me