Flight of a Lifetime: A Monument to an Epic Flight in the Alps

After having published 23 books relating to aerial photography, a thought lingered in Garrett Fisher’s mind during many ensuing flights: is it possible to produce an entire book from the photographs from one flight? While it was a source of philosophical musing for some time, the reality is that the aircraft used for photographs flies slowly and has only three hours of flying time before fuel exhaustion. With the demands of variety, quality, and a reasonable level of interest, it had not until this point crossed Mr. Fisher’s mind to try. On one illustrious flight in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland after a summer snowfall, well into the flight where it was nearing its conclusion, he decided that this was the one, turning the airplane past the airport, wringing extra minutes out of the flight while over magnificent terrain. Long told by passengers and friends that rides taken in the airplane were “one of the best experiences of [their] lives,” the work conveys the magnitude of what it is like to ride along in the airplane in some of the world’s more majestic scenery while aerial photography is taking place with furious passion. Containing 118 images, the book presents stunning imagery in chronological order, with written anecdotes explaining key sections of the flight and the process behind it, as it proceeded from Gstaad Airport, over Interlaken, Susten Pass, around Titlis, and then back along the Winterberg Massif, Triftgletscher, and the north faces of the major Bernese Alps peaks south of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, including the Jungfrau. It continues west until the French-speaking section of the country, rounding the bend at Les Diablerets before crossing Sanetschpass and landing back at Gstaad Airport in the late evening, tucked in the Bernese Oberland. Read more