Why We Fly, Indeed: There’s Always Something New Out of Africa

Fundamentals of flight elude naming, but not feeling.

Peter Garrison

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 10:17 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Denys Finch Hatton with the de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth in Africa. [Credit: Karen Blixen Museum]

Key Takeaways:

The article explores the profound and elusive meaning of flight for pilots, describing it as an "elusive quintessence" that transcends simple pleasure or terror.
It highlights author Karen Blixen's (Isak Dinesen) deep personal connection to flying, calling it "the greatest, most transporting pleasure" during her time in Kenya.
Blixen eloquently articulated that the true essence of flight is the liberating sensation of moving in three dimensions, offering a "great new discovery" that metaphorically redeems humanity from gravity's "original sin."

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Deputy editor Jessica Ambats’ recent invitation to readers to write about why flying is important to them reminded me that, decades ago, then-editor Robert Parke invited me to write an essay on that same subject.

Elevated by certain intoxicants, I proceeded to produce a piece of passionate prose so uncharacteristic of these pages that Parke—or perhaps it was our often similarly elevated art director, Bud Loader—decided to present it as white text on black pages. A reader nominated it for the “Excedrin Headache of the Year Award.”