Flying - a European hi-story

Marie Claire Grima, from St Theresa Junior Lyceum, Mriehel, gives a student's perspective

The first few minutes were unforgettable. The crunch of the wheels on the ground, the shrill, excited giggles of passengers for whom this was a new experience, and the eventual graceful soar of the giant metal bird into the air. Everyone burst into gleeful applause. We were flying.

Of course, it took us a long time to get on that plane, starting from that fateful day several weeks before when it was announced during assembly that the school, in collaboration with Air Malta, was going to organise a flight. The flight would be relatively short, but we would get to see some magnificent views of Sicily. Those interested were to submit an application, and hey presto, they'd be soaring off into the blue yonder in a month or so. I submitted my application and I was one in a sea of eager faces gathered in the foyer.

We left by coach for Gudja, and shortly afterwards arrived at Malta International Airport. After a series of lengthy procedures, we found ourselves in the Departures Lounge, having our tickets cut in half and being sent off on a kind of coach that deposited us right in front of our airplane.

I never thought I'd say this, but now I can understand some boys' fascination with airplanes. They are formidable up close, tons of gleaming white metal with the sun bouncing off the sharp vertices, the enormous hypnotic turbines whirling their blades in a never-ending vortex, the elegant wings jutting out of the sides like massive surfboards.

As we boarded, I wondered how any one person could manage to navigate the plane by themselves. It seemed quite unfeasible to my never-been-airborne self.

The interior of the plane was extremely elegant - rows and rows of blue seats spliced into two with an aisle up the middle. We took our seats - there was ample room for everyone. The crew instructed us on the safety procedures and we listened attentively (perhaps some of us, in our first-timer nervousness, were anticipating the worst case scenarios) and after that, the plane jolted into motion. It started, a slow, steady turnaround to face the runway, and then it began gaining speed. It was like being in an overlarge bus. Then, in an exhilarating burst, the plane took off from the ground, going from horizontal to almost perpendicular in a few seconds. The euphoria was tangible.

Everyone was applauding and hooting in delight. After a few seconds, we relaxed back into our seats to enjoy the ride. The scenery was stupendous. From our viewpoint, partially obstructed by white cotton wool clouds, Sicily looked like a patchwork quilt with inlays of blue silk. The flight was so smooth and lacking turbulence it would have been hard to believe we weren't suspended in mid-air, had it not been for the ever-changing vistas.

The most memorable one was that of Etna - looking like a gigantic tiramisù with frosting on top, with puffs of smoke coming out of the crevices. The 'frosting' was actually snow and the smoke was from the lava. Hard as it was to believe, beneath the icy pinnacle lay a boiling mass of minerals. Amazing.

The plane soon started heading back, and within an hour, we were back within the earthly confines of St Theresa Junior Lyceum.

I caught myself staring out of the window, looking wistfully at the sky, perhaps wishing I was back up there. Well, with any luck there will be plenty of other times and I will always be grateful for this experience. Wind beneath my wings indeed.

Flying - A European Hi-Story is a Comenius 1 School Project. Other countries taking part, besides Malta, are Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Poland and Slovenia.