Sky over North Germany

Going flying seemed like such an extravagant and exotic thing to do that it hadn't really occurred to me as being an option before. Having said that, I can now understand how people get hooked on what must be an incredibly expensive hobby. Probably the biggest surprise in going up was how gentle the whole experience was. I'm not afraid of flying, and quite like take off and landing in regular planes, but compared to an ultralight, the experience is really detached from the outside world. In an ultralight, you just feel so much more connected to what's going on around you - and you actually feel like you're flying, not sitting on something akin to a pressurised bus.

The other surprises for me were:

• How small the cabin was - you really do only have room for 2 in one of these, no extra luggage!
• The view was fantastic - the advantage of the non-pressurise cabin is that you can actually see: in front, to the left, to the right etc.
• There was a small window for taking photos - not an easy feat with gusty wind around you and with gusts of wind throwing everything off course!
• Its loud! The head pones aren't for show - without them you wouldn't be able to communicate with the pilot.

So in summary, flying in an ultra-light wasn't particularly on my to-do list, but I'm grateful to have had the change to do it and highly recommend it for those who haven't!

If you want to see the photos from the air, I've got some more in in the full blog post!