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Milly Goes Flying, Summer 2006
Milly was a terrific dog - sadly no longer with us - and went everywhere with me, including flying. She used to look out of the window for a bit, yawn, then curl up for a nap.

She was a fair co-pilot (I've had worse) but could never get the hang of banking in an aircraft. As any aviator will tell you, a banked turn in an aircraft is a balanced turn - the line of gravity remains vertically below the aircraft, irrespective of where the planet might be. If you've ever had a drink in your hand in a Jetliner which is banking, the liquid in the glass stays, yes, level. You can do a balanced turn and roll completely over and back to upright, still with the line of gravity pointing through the floor of the aircraft.

A famed stunt pilot named Bob Hoover used to do precisely that, and could pour out a glass of iced tea as the aircraft rolled. It's a trick worth watching: Utube Bob Hoover Clip.

In any event, Milly didn't really get the whole 'messing around with gravity thing', and when I banked left, she'd take a visual cue from the horizon, lean right to compensate, and fall over. This was probably why she simply yawned and went to sleep.

This was taken about 2000' above Bronydd - that's a bend in the river Wye beyond, and Cabalva Farm

Contax G2, 21mm



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