I've flown a light aircraft & the instructor was suitably impressed with my handling that he suggested I land it
1st lesson 
I've been inside a Russian missile base, I looked up the launch silo where death and destruction would lift off from. That was sobering
I've flown in the tail end of a C130 Hercules and filmed para-jumpers exit the aircraft while filming them from the ramp at around 10,000ft (I was tethered luckily
).I've been on my fathers boat in the teeth of a hurricane with waves breaking over us as we were flung around like a cork. That was one of the most frightening episodes of my life
I remember I was about 14, we were moored in old loch Clash, Kinlochbervie. Dad was busy with ropes and creels (lobster/crab pots) and we had 60 aboard. His friend Nick was in his boat, the Osprey. An old man walked up and watched a while before proclaiming the immortal (unforgettable) words: "If you bide here, you'll lose your boat...If ye go oot there, you'll lose yer life!" (he said some more, but I clearly remember that). So dad being dad, off we went 
We were somewhat sheltered in the old loch, but as we went out the waves got bigger and the wind got stronger. I was throwing the creels over the side as best I could (we were top heavy so safety first
) then one caught the rail and cracked the 110mm orange plastic soil pipe my dad had placed to prevent damage to the wooden rail. He cut it lengthwise and fought it on there. Anyway, a portion came away and the rope snagged under it, jamming the creel against the side. My dad throttled back, came out with a 4lb hammer and tried to smash it, but that b@5t@rd would not budge. I managed to lift the creel and throw it under the rope as we went down into a trough and the rope rose above us. Away she went... After that, the rest of the creels went over without issue. But then we had to go out into the wild angry Atlantic to get round the headland and into the safety of the "new" harbour.
They had sent out a large fishing boat (aprox 80ft) to keep an eye on us and one minute we could see it, next minute it was hidden from view such were the size & frequency of the waves. We estimated they were around 50ft from crest to trough. Dads boat was a good sea vessel and she handled it easily, although the waves were battering hell out of us and managed to crack the 10mm glass on the front of the wheel house. I remember jamming myself in the door frame and holding on as she rolled a good 140 degrees side to side with the water sloshing through the scuppers and the deck awash with anything that could float. I looked down into the cabin just as we rode over the crest of a huge wave and watched, enthralled as the boat dove down into the trough, the kettle rose into the air and sat there (seemingly for minutes...
) before slamming back down when the boat levelled out and started climbing again. That particular event has also stayed with me.I have seen many many surprising things and visited (and driven through) many foreign countries.
But nothing...
... and I mean nothing has surprised me as much as...
When I took the crashed bike out of the garage so I could tidy up, then return it until the insurance come to fetch it. It got stuck in the ice so I had to start the engine and try to rock it out.
I put the side stand down and as I leaned the bike onto the stand, something popped out of the smashed plastic.
A flash caught the light of my head torch so I looked down and gaped, open mouthed as I saw the lost key
All this time the lost Citroen key had somehow been jammed into the left foot rest section of the bikes atomised plastics and fell out right beside the actual car!!!!!
Un be flippin leaveable
I travelled in them several times but only as a normal passenger... Great 'planes 
