(November 2011) Just another couple hundred feet should do it; the cloud is much lighter now. There are rips and tears in the fabric of the moisture. If I crane my neck I can see some blue up there; at least I think it is blue. I can feel the sun trying to get through.
Then, suddenly, the last wisp sheds and the airplane and I are in the clear. We’ve “broken out on top,” and I find it to be one of life’s most satisfying feelings. The sense of speed is always exhilarating, but sometimes the sense of relief predominates. Relief is the more important feeling if we’re near our highest assigned altitude or if we’re close to the airplane’s service ceiling. The relief is even more welcome if we’re escaping bad weather, laden down with ice and wondering if this whole thing was such a good idea after all.
