Courtesy photo and video for NSBNEWS.net.
Jennifer Glasse, a journalist with Voice of America in London and daughter of New Smyrna Beach resident Joe Glasse, reports on the fallout from volcanic ash eruption in Iceland the economic impact on Western Europe. She also wrote an essay Tuesday to her father, who forwarded it to NSBNEWS,net, which follows:
I was reminded today of that movie The Gods Must be Crazy, where African bushmen are enthralled by a glass Coke bottle thrown from a plane in the sky.
My little boat is along the flight path into Heathrow, and for the past 6 days the volcano-enforced silence has been a marvel. So this morning, as I was talking on the phone with Wendy, pondering whether we will get on our flight to Florida Friday.
I almost shouted with joy when I saw a plane in the sky. It was high, not flying into or out of Heathrow, or to or from anywhere in Britain at all it had taken off far away from the ash cloud and was flying above it. I ran out onto the deck and filmed the plane trail through the clear blue sky. I used the video in my TV piece about the air chaos and its economic impact.
This evening, as I was walking home, a plane flew over my head on its way to landing at Heathrow. I stopped stared and marveled at the sight, of the plane passing overhead, like that African tribesman in a movie I saw long ago.
I don¹t how long the wonder at the miracle of air flight will last for me, especially as officials here are talking about allowing Heathrow to be open for 24 hours to clear the backlog of flights and passengers. There¹s usually an overnight ban on takeoffs and landings.
I don¹t know how grateful I will be if and when I fly on Friday and the airport and the flight are both packed or I get asked to travel on another date which doesn¹t suit me as well.
I enjoyed being stuck on this British Isle even for a little while. With the option of air travel removed, I felt like we were returning to a simpler time.
As the planes return,blame will be apportioned: Governments for being too cautious, insurance companies for not reimbursing, airlines for failing to accommodate the stranded, or for not getting people where they want to go quickly enough, and the wonder and gratitude and enthrallment of planes flying over head will fade.