The ‘Air Travel Master Plan’, the so called ‘Flight Codex’ - Introduction

Of course I'm aware that there will be people reading this blog who will take everything I write with a pinch of salt. I understand that. It is true that on occasion I may have incidentally bent the truth a little bit for a tiny little practical joke here and there. I even admit that there have been a few times where I may have accidentally exploited some good natured gullibility for the sake of a smile and a good story.

Not so with this story though. I've done my research properly this time and have checked and double checked my facts. This Air Travel Master Plan exists and is very real. I'm going to go further than that and will simply put it out there for all of you to verify on your next travels. Once you're aware of the existence of this Master Plan, you'll suddenly put all the puzzle pieces together. I even dare say that you'll experience moments of clarity like you've never known them before. In airports, of all places, which in my view, is an excellent place to experience a moment of clarity.

My best Moment of Clarity (the capital letters are justified) happened when I was a kid. We were on our way by train from Holland to Italy and in Switzerland we went into a tunnel. At the very exact moment we entered the tunnel I accidentally closed my eyes without realizing it. As I did (and do) with all tunnels, I was counting in my head the amount of seconds we were spending inside the tunnel. See it as building a spreadsheet in my head.

At the moment we exited the tunnel however, I forgot to open my eyes, simply because I hadn't realized I had them closed in the first place. For me, we were still in the tunnel. This tunnel was long, very long. In fact, in my head I was celebrating the moment that it surpassed all previous tunnels in length. The excitement was building; this was undoubtedly the longest tunnel I would ever travel through. And it still wouldn't stop! I felt what I call the exhilarating Sense of Firsts. Your first taste of chocolate ice cream, your first meters on a bicycle without support, the first time you arrive at school on your own, your first kiss and the first time you go through the longest tunnel in the world.

This was it. I knew in my head that I would one day write about this tunnel. I knew people would be so amazed when hearing about the existence of this tunnel that they would start pilgrimages to The Tunnel. There would be a plaque at the entrance of the tunnel and I would receive a Certificate testifying the accuracy of my length calculations. In short, I was counting down history in my head.

The emotion got to me. I blinked.

The light was blinding. It was not just light. It was The Ultimate Light. It was not even the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. This was the light beyond the end of The Tunnel. The light was dazzling, dizzying and deafening. I had just experienced the Ultimate Moment of Clarity. Literally.

The experience did mess up my memorized list of 'longest tunnels I travelled through'.