the pilot

He didn’t say much now. This was what he was like before the flight – his mind completely focused on the task that lay before him. The tension was incredible. He prepared himself for the massive stress is body was about to have to take. Not losing his concentration was crucial. He’d have to rely on his lightning fast reactions. One single mistake could be the end, so he couldn’t get away with a single moment of unattentiveness. Even blinking one’s eye was potentially fatal, so he didn’t. Not that it was his first flight but even more so - routine misled many of them before to carelessness. And there were birds and raindrops and all kinds of dangers out there. But there also was freedom and that smell that made men like him go out there again and again, no matter how dangerous it was. It was an obsession: flying was just his nature.
He wiped his face once more. A slight movement in his feet.
Ready to take off.

completely focused on his task.