The first thing that hits me is the silence. As Jacques Brun and his D140 Mousquetaire II disappear into the distance, it is suddenly very, very quiet. I look around. Then the full craziness and impact of my predicament hit me. And I start to feel very, very small.
Five minutes ago, I was happily ensconced in the left seat of a Jodel Mousquetaire, banking around some of the tallest peaks in Europe, taking in the beautiful summer sunshine reflecting off of gleaming-white glaciers with one of the most experienced and famous mountain flying instructor pilots in France. Flying in close proximity to jagged rock pinnacles dividing icefalls and glacial fields isn’t something you want to do with just anybody, but Jacques has over 23,000 hours of flight time in and around these mountains.
