Home > Online Magazine > Online Magazine: Edition 48 - August/September 2012 > Flying High (by John Morris)

Flying High

by John Morris

Flying High --- Flying now, and in Biblical stories

Darryl was a mate with a love of flying.

It did not take too much arm twisting to get him up in the air.

I was working for James Hardie at the time. James Hardie had a substantial interest in what was then Australia's Wonderland. Management wanted to know what were alternative uses for the land if the theme park did not perform financially. As part of my research to answer this question I took a chopper up over the area to assess locations of developed and under-developed areas and what vacant land competition there might be. The short flight was a big help. On my return I found that the film had not been loaded correctly into the camera and no pictures were taken.

A quick call for help to Darryl saw us up over the site the following Sunday getting the needed shots to support the report.

On another occasion I was interested in the route taken by the Wolgan Valley Railway as it came up out of the valley at Newnes, through the glow worm tunnel, and across what is now the Newnes State Forest. Accompanied by Keith Miller we flew over Katoomba, Blackheath, Grose Valley and the Blue Gum Forest and passed by Mt Banks with its massive cliff face. I expected the flight over the Grose Valley and beside Mt Banks to be very rough.. It was exactly the opposite. We gave Darryl the benefit of the doubt for exemplary flying. On the return segment of the flight we had to be careful not to stray into prohibited space over the small arms factory at Lithgow.

Lake Eyre has filled up some 8 or so times since records have been kept. Of those times 3 or 4 have been when the lake filled to total capacity. In 1989 The lake filled via Lake Eyre South. The usual filling is from Queensland rainfall with Lake Eyre north filling first . These factors were a good enough reason to suggest to Darryl that a long weekend was in order to which he immediately agreed. We, Darryl in the Pilot's seat, John and Lynda Rofe, my youngest daughter Marilyn (16 at the time) and I flew from Sydney via Parkes and Broken Hill. We spent Sabbath in Broken Hill paying a visit to the Broken Hill church and having a quick look around town.

Sunday morning we flew to Maree at the southern end of the Birdsville track dropping into the airstrip at the edge of a mighty thick and black cloud. The airstrip was crushed rock. Landing fees could not justify tar seal or concrete. To our surprise Darryl's landing was superb, the best of the whole trip, a fact that we reminded him of each time we landed on the tar sealed runways on the rest of the trip. We returned to Broken Hill flying over Andamooka, refueling at Leigh Creek on the way.

The last part of the itinerary had to be changed. Dropping into Bathurst for fuel, we found that the clouds between Bathurst and Sydney were a problem and rather than take a risk Darryl decided to return to Bathurst. The passengers returned to Sydney by hire car while Darryl stayed overnight and flew back the next morning . Darryl's approach to risk taking was appreciated.

Darryl had some years before this trip taken a number of mates (Max Ward - with whom Darryl did his electrical training, George Evans, Barry Watson, Owen Hill and Ray Anderson) on a round trip to Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. Apart from a rather rough time through the heated centre, worth adding to the list of memories is that Max and Darryl slept the night at the Rock, on top of the rock. Not much chance of doing it these days

Some flying memories.

There is more to look forward to - with power and methods that we do not understand now.

Daniel records one "flying" episode that hints at an ability to move around the universe at a rate well in excess of anything that we have in the realm of science fiction. Daniel was praying for forgiveness for his people and asking God to act to allow restoration of Jerusalem. He had researched scripture of the time and understood that the 70 years of captivity in Babylon were near ending. The angel Gabriel was commissioned to answer some of the concerns that Daniel still had. Gabriel was directed to assist Daniel when Daniel began to pray. 2 or 3 minutes later Gabriel was at Daniel's side. (See Daniel 9:20-23) Faster than the speed of light. Our current understanding of science would suggest that this is not possible.

Gabriel is recorded as making other visits to this earth in his role as a heavenly emissary. You will remember his announcement of the conception and birth process of Jesus to Mary. An angel of the Lord made an earlier announcement to Zechariah of his wife's pregnancy with John the Baptist.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Pastor Paul paints a word picture of Jesus second coming. At his call those who have died giving allegiance to Jesus as Lord of Lords and King of Kings,, will be raised to a new and eternal life. Those who are living will join the resurrected "saints" and together will move away from the broken earth to meet the Lord in the air. What a flight that is going to be.

Maybe the portrayal of angels flying is putting another process of space movement into words that we can understand.

We do not know the how's of the process but we can be assured that it will work. "..So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words".

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