Skywards

Every summer, people gather by the thousands at airshows around England to share in their passion for aviation. Over these ‘green and pleasant lands’, the sound of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines reverberates.* Aircraft of every vintage soar through the skies, calligraphing with their smoke trails and leaving transient autographs. These are quaint occasions bearing every hallmark of the British summer: from sunburn to soft-serve ice cream. Lawn chairs and tents line the flight line; food stalls and shops selling aviation memorabilia dot the landscape. Rain or shine, people young and old wait with bated breath for the next heart-racing aerobatic display. The attendees are delightfully eclectic; some are highly eccentric. From toy guns to telephotos, ‘Top Gun’ t-shirts to top hats, everyone is here for a different reason. Some come for the machinery and some for the history; others are dragged along by their partners. Nevertheless, there is a sense that all in the crowd are transfixed—each with their eyes and hearts turned skywards. *Unlike ‘in ancient time’