flying high

A BUTCHER'S #76

May 13, 2026

A BUTCHER’S hook/look (Cockney rhyming slang)

active flyover

Flying from Oaxaca to Mexico City we realized we were over Popocatépetl volcano, so we asked the Señora by the window to take a photo - spectacular.

photo from plane of Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico — winging it over Popocatépetl

above and beyond

Believe it or not, there is only one photo ever taken of Concorde flying at supersonic speed - and this is it. It’s so surreal, so cool - and it wasn’t so easy to take either…. think about it.

**The one and only - Concorde** flies supersonic (photo Adrian Meredith)

how? In April 1985, a mid-air meet up was arranged with an RAF Tornado fighter jet, 5 miles above the Irish Sea. Due the enormous amount of fuel consumed at that speed, the Tornado only had 4 minutes to get things done. Concorde actually had to slow down a bit, from Mach 2 to Mach 1.5-1.6, to give the Tornado crew a chance to position themselves for Adrian Meredith to take the photo. Incredible. Concorde then continued its journey, cruising to New York’s JFK Airport, arriving in under 3 hours.

**MACH 2** - twice the speed of sound, 9.6 miles up - Concorde interior read-out (not my photo)

Quite a trip - Anna and I each had the chance to fly on Concorde (back in the days of doing courier flights this was possible!) and as you might imagine, everything about it was thrilling. Onboard, at the front of the cabin, a simple read-out clicked over from MACH 1.00 to MACH 1.50 to MACH 2.00. To look out of the small porthole window at blackness, almost 10 miles up and way above the blue sky below was a moment and a half.

meanwhile

Another of my New York postcard x-acto knife collages - this one from 1996. It’s a mosaic mix - the sky is a Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna, while Eros riding the dolphin is a 12th c mosaic from San Clemente, Rome.

**cruising midtown -** postcard collage ©Steve Butcher 1996

Eros and various other putti have been getting around by dolphin since Ancient Roman times - seems to be a favorite mode of transport.

nel blu dipinto di blu

There we were in the south of Italy and came across this statue of Domenico Modugno - that’s Mr Volare to the world.

I think that a dream like this will never return again; I was painting my hands and my face blue. Then suddenly I was taken by the wind and began to fly in the infinite sky….

For full immersion, have a look at the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest (when there were 10 entries.) By 2004, it was the most played Italian song in the world and the only Eurovision song to win a Grammy. It must have a certain something!

dive in

Suitably enough, with Domenico’s arms outstretched, his small town is renowned for cliff diving. It’s insane. Now a contest officially organized by Red Bull with diving platforms, many divers still traipse through people’s apartments and dive from the balconies. cliff diving (click)

and try this: prepare yourself (click)