Under the stars

Position is somewhere over the South China Sea at FL370, cruising along M758 homeward bound. The Captain has just left the flight deck to go chat up the girls in the back and I'm left alone with the night. And what a night.

The instrument lighting is down as far as it will go, the screens are as dim as they'll go and all flood lighting is off. Outside the moon is painting everything a slightly eerie silver.

There is a distant thunderstorm spitting lighting off to the right (annoying someone else no doubt) but the weather ahead is smooth and clear.

I can just make out the blink-blink of the strobe lights of a company Bus going the other way 1000ft above. A few seconds later it whizzes past and the sky is motionless again. Up above I can just make out a million stars competing with the moon.

It's moments like these that make me love flying - despite the stupid paperwork and 25 minute turnarounds - and convince me that the best view on earth really is at thirty something thousand feet.

S.