I once flew out of a high country sheep station in the South Island of New Zealand with a pilot who asked me to count with him the fence posts along the side of the runway.
'If we get to fifty-two and haven't unstuck, I abort the take-off,' he said.
'Why?'
'Because there's a telephone line across the far end of the landing strip.'
Every pilot is careful but it's inherently a dangerous game - especially that of top-dressing. When I took the photograph above I winced as he flew over the power cables.
Some months after, this pilot - a lovely young chap - crashed and died.
© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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