SAFA Skysailor Magazine

22 SKY SAILOR July | August 2022 What was uniform though, was the enthu- siasm of the pilots. We all wanted to fly far, but we also all wanted to share this with each other. Connection was paramount and looking out for each other was the backbone of the trip. For me, the highlight was the last day. I was first to launch and it took all my concentration to stay up as base slowly lifted. The air felt sluggish, but the thermals were cranky and far apart. I crossed flooded fields and transport roads heavy with cargo trucks, and not once did I want to land (or feel the need to have a nap). Throughout the day, I listened to radio chatter from fellow female pilots making calls of triggers, road crossings and altitude. With Queensland visible to the north, I headed east across swathes of cotton fields. I landed in the late afternoon; 157km from launch, after I felt the wind pushing me towards flooded roads. As sad as I was to leave the sky, I was grateful to see another side of flatland flying; where you’re not pushed to show what you’re made of, but they share a part of themselves – I witnessed a landscape usually shaped by scorching heat, bathed in the full flood. I shared the sky with playful eagles, caught a thermal marked by a heron, and felt the whoosh of hungry swallows darting past my lines. I got a bird’s eye view of Australia’s great agricultural engine. The first trip was dusty, challenging and deeply validating. I got to taste the satisfaction of exceeding my goals and feel the fever of flying far. I got to prove myself in the summer heat and fly to heady heights. The second safari gave me something different. Maybe it was because the season was coming to an Towing is not for the faint-hearted