As a pilot in the RAF, I am not a risk-adverse type. When the pressure is on, danger is pressing in and the adrenaline is building, I often feel like I am having the time of my life! I think that would be true of most members of the Armed Forces.
I remember one time when I was approaching our final destination in Afghanistan and the airspace was really busy. Not only that, but the ground was teaming with potential threats: cars, motorbikes, and villages. In cases like these, we liked to get the aircraft down as quickly as possible.
On this occasion air traffic control started giving us a stream of orders requiring us to make changes to our altitude and track. For fifteen minutes in the cockpit every nerve was stretched, and the adrenaline was pumping while I prayed, wondering if we would be able to land safely, or whether someone might take a pot-shot at the sitting grey duck overhead. Having landed safely, it felt great!
*Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/@jean-daniel