Today was pretty windy, gale force winds that really rattled the windows. I looked up at the tree tops and saw a big bird of prey, a Red Kite getting buffeted in the turbulent air behind some tree tops. The Kite was really working hard just to stay flying straight and level. It really looked as though it might even lose control and crash into the trees. It was at that point I wondered if birds got scared in situations like that - some of you will know that I fly in my spare time, both gliders and powered aircraft, and flying downwind of a ridge or tall trees could potentially be a fatal error, in fact it is one of the key lessons in ridge soaring - stay in front of the ridge unless you are high enough to avoid the curl over.
So why then was the Kite downwind of some huge trees in all the curl over? If I had been in its position in an aeroplane I'm pretty sure that I would have been feeling the turbulence and would have to work really hard to stay in control and yet this huge bird seemed totally oblivious to what was happening around him. Years ago I would probably have been terrified if I found myself in serious turbulence, and now I just take it my stride and sail on through it with confidence. I wonder what would have happened to a young kite in the same situation - terror or hey this is new?
I guess it is easy to avoid situations that are risky and just to stay in our comfort zone, then how will we ever develop? I only got comfortable in turbulence by exposure to a bit of calculated risk. Now I know that I can fly perfectly well even in the most challenging conditions. So what will you do in turbulence, stay on the safe side or push the boundaries, just a bit to see what might happen? Joseph Campbell once said "The Cave which you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek". What treasure are you missing by not entering the cave and testing the turbulence?
