Free flight is one of the most common subjects of sweet dreams; just as falling is the frequent stuff of nightmares. And yes, we learned to fly; we achieved the dream and it has proved dust and ashes. Ironically enough, everything about human flying is the antithesis of what we dream of. Aeroplanes are noisy, cramped, polluting – they scratch the surface of the blue ceiling and break up the silence of the night. Strapped in like children, herded about like animals, deafened not just by engine noise but also by overcrowded airports and a general atmosphere of pandemonium, and bound by sets of regulations that would be condemned in an ordinary prison, you further have the privilege of doing the maximum possible amount of environmental damage and running the risk of deep-vein thrombosis

      - Sara Maitland