Adventures in Svealand
Staring at the pilot’s seat in front of me, with its back unattached, unscrewed, and shredded, I wondered what in the world had convinced me this would be a good idea.
I was strapped into a tiny airplane that had space for just three passengers and the pilot, that would soon (supposedly) be taking off to
But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s start at the beginning where a lovely offer arrived in the email - just 200kr per person to have an amazing flight over Stockholm, an amazingly cheap offer supposedly because it was being operated by a non-profit organization. All we had to do was book a time, and show up. There would be food, drinks, and airplanes on display.
When something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Genesis: The Beginning
Gathering up in our little group, we set out on our adventure. One bus, one subway, one more bus, and then yet another bus and we found ourselves… in the middle of no-where. Also known as “Ekerö”. Nothing ahead of us… nothing behind us… nothing to the left… (Can you guess?) Nothing to the right! The returning bus only came every two hours.
Our fellow vict… I mean… travellers… milled around us and eventually began wandering up the road. No one knew where we 
Eventually we ended up at a dead end, with a barbed wire fence. But we were not to be deterred. With some effort, and an amazing amount of clothing not getting ripped, we managed to navigate the fence, and make our way towards what seemed to be airplanes and a tiny shack. We were, in fact, in the right place.
Purgatory: The Wait
Upon our arrival, the first thing we learned was that they were behind schedule. At first it seemed like a small thing. We were there at noon, and had booked a time for 1pm. But it seems that they weren’t just behind schedule… they had no schedule. The schedule was completely redundant and of absolute no worth. The non-profit organization was, in fact, a club related to students at KTH.
And so, we waited. And slowly felt our extremities go numb… well, actually, didn’t feel it. Which is kind of the point. It was a chilly and windy day, despite the sun shining. Lying in the grass, under the sun, was actually warmer than being inside the shack. The time for the bus’s arrival came, and went. We watched in bitter silence as the planes took a 60-minute break for some unfathomable reason between trips. The pilots had some sort of negative sense of humour. Anything they said to try to be funny was as automatically empty and valueless as their promises of “soon”.
Ascension: Take-off
And now we’re back to where I started. Sitting in the rickety plane, with tattered seats, wondering – why?
The pilot was explaining the rules to us, and making the front seat passenger open and close the emergency door… our last chance to escape. Then we put on our headphones, which were about as good for hearing each other as using two cups with attached strings, when the strings have been cut.
Down the runway we went, as the flat empty countryside rolled past. I tried to focus on my breathing so I wouldn’t trigger an asthma attack, when suddenly the bottom dropped out of my stomach and we were airborne! Higher and higher, until houses were tiny little toys and there was a just blue sky all around.
Nirvana: Flight
It was absolutely utterly breathtakingly amazing. The city spread out beneath us was a surrealistic picture, with all of the landmarks turned
We were still locked in a tiny little metal cabin, and I still had to clutch BaroqueW’s knee to keep semi-calm, but at the same time it was as if I couldn’t feel the plane as an object surrounding me anymore. I moved with the plane, so when it turned, so did I. It was more like riding a 4-wheeler (or ATV as non-rednecks tend to call them, note from the editor), only through the sky instead of on the ground. Which may sound odd to people who haven’t been on one but, compared to commercial airlines, it’s a very valid metaphor. It was much more personal and intense.
It was wonderful, beautiful, and worth every penny. Or krona.
Although I’m not sure the 4 hour wait was.
My thanks to Grégoire for taking the pics, and to BaroqueW for posting them!
April 26th, 2007 at 21:24
This is too funny and somehow sweet too…thank you for another entertaining blog…
April 26th, 2007 at 22:17
hehe nice writing ! Amusing to read indeed. I’m a bit jealous, would be really fun to go up in a small plane and see the town from up there. Luckyyyyyyyy you !
April 28th, 2007 at 21:57
Sure looks like a lot of fun Nikki !
You seem to have found a new passion for french guys too, trop fort *mdr*
Keep on the writing !
May 20th, 2007 at 17:01
A brilliant experience brilliantly captured in words. I had a similar flight in a similar plane many moons ago, although I flew from an airport in Sydney, Australia, over the huge water reservoirs to the South. 200kr ? I’d go every weekend ! And of course Nikkitaas company is priceless
lol I’m looking forwards to your first novel Nikkitaa, keep up the great work.
June 12th, 2007 at 22:36
The love of aviation starts with the first flight, once one has done their first solo flight which is like the first time you went alone on a bike ride or driving for the first time, you feel the serenity of being a bird but knowing it could all come undone any second, the thrill of doing something so magical and dangerous in the one breath is what makes one feel alive,welcome to the world of pilots Nikki, you should get up there again, perhaps do some lessons and see if you want to take it further, women make great pilots.
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