A British Airways Concorde aircraft as it rotates on take off with condensation over the wings

From Concorde and steam locomotives to ancient trees and storm-driven seas, some experiences seem able to retain their power to fascinate and inspire us no matter how often we encounter them. 

During my years flying and working in aviation, aircraft were simply a part of everyday life.

Yet Concorde was one type that never quite became ordinary.

It possessed a combination of qualities that was difficult to ignore. There was the sleek, almost impossibly elegant shape. There was the distinctive drooping nose that contributed to the aircraft's unmistakable appearance. There was the unique sound of the engines, rising steadily into a thunderous roar as take-off power was applied and the aircraft surged forward down the runway. Heathrow was no stranger to noise, yet the sound of Concorde demanded attention and was instantly recognisable.

Above all, there was a dominant sense that this was something rather special. Concorde was in a category of its own.

What made this remarkable was not that visitors stopped to watch. It was that people who spent their working lives around aircraft still found themselves pausing to look up. Engineers, baggage handlers, pilots, managers and office staff alike would interrupt whatever they were doing for a few moments to stand and stare as Concorde accelerated down the runway and climbed away into the distance.

The same people had witnessed the spectacle countless times before. They knew exactly what was about to happen.

Yet somehow the experience remained impossible to ignore.

Concorde was by no means the only experience that retained its power despite familiarity. The same phenomenon can still be observed in places far removed from airports and aviation.

Steam locomotives provide another example. Those that remain continue to attract and captivate crowds. There is something about the sight, sound and commanding presence of a steam locomotive that helps explain why.

A giant steam engine, wreathed in steam, hauling a passenger train 

A piercing whistle announces its departure. Steam billows into the air. Machinery clanks and hisses into life. Then comes the familiar exhaust beat as the locomotive gathers power and begins very slowly to haul itself and its train of carriages out of the station. Every movement is accompanied by sound, steam, the distinctive smell of hot oil and coal smoke, plus visible and audible exertion. Intermittently emitted clouds of steam drift across the platform, sometimes engulfing everything and everybody nearby, adding still further to the unforgettable and astoundingly noisy spectacle.

People will often travel considerable distances and wait patiently for an event lasting only a few moments. They already know what they are going to see and hear. Yet familiarity seems to do nothing to diminish the attraction.

Nor is this fascination confined to remarkable machines.

There is also the almost irresistible attraction of a wild coastline when mountainous seas are battering themselves against rocks and cliffs with tremendous force. Anyone who has stood watching during stormy weather will recognise the phenomenon. Long after common sense might suggest remaining indoors – or at least keeping a respectful distance – people still find themselves drawn towards the spectacle.

Enormous storm-lashed seas over-topping a small town sea wall

Whether viewed from a rugged cliff top or from the paved promenade of a normally peaceful seaside resort, the effect can be equally compelling. Familiar surroundings are transformed by the immense power of wind and water. Towering waves rise and crash with astonishing force. Vast clouds of spray are hurled into the air. Wind tears at clothing and occasionally threatens to sweep the unwary from their feet. For a few moments the sea retreats, only to gather itself and return with renewed force.

Occasionally such storms cause significant damage to coastlines and structures that lie in their path. Yet it is not only the destructive power of such storms that attracts attention.

Despite the wind, the noise and the discomfort, people remain. Cameras emerge. Conversations cease. Eyes stay fixed upon the unfolding drama.

The spectacle is every bit as awe-inspiring as that of a steam locomotive or a departing Concorde. There is the immense power on display. There is the sense of witnessing something both beautiful and untamed. Yet, just as with Concorde and steam locomotives, none of this is new to those who have come to watch.

They know what they are going to see. The sea has performed the same display countless times before. Yet familiarity does nothing to diminish its appeal. People continue to stop, watch and marvel.

What is it about such experiences that allows them to retain their appeal long after familiarity ought to have diminished it?

Perhaps part of the answer is that they momentarily lift us out of the ordinary. For a few moments, our attention is captured completely. We stop thinking about shopping lists, emails, household chores and countless other concerns. We simply watch.

One enormous Californian Redwood Tree in the foreground of a forest of smaller Redwoods

Yet the same phenomenon can be found in quieter places too. Visitors travel thousands of miles to stand beneath California's giant sequoias, some of which were already ancient when the stories of Robin Hood first began to circulate. Others seek out the remarkable bristlecone pines of the American West, trees that were already growing when the pyramids of Egypt were being built. Closer to home, generations have paused beneath ancient oaks whose branches may have been spreading across the English countryside while Norman kings ruled the land and medieval cathedrals were still taking shape.

The same attraction appears in seasonal spectacles. Each autumn, visitors travel from around the world to witness the magnificent displays of colour that transform the forests of New England into vast landscapes of gold, scarlet, crimson and bronze. Many have seen the spectacle before, yet return year after year. Spring brings its own displays as blossom briefly transforms trees and shrubs, while woodlands carpeted with bluebells and immense Dutch tulip fields stretching towards the horizon continue to attract admirers generation after generation.

Glorious multi-coloured trees to the horizon in a New England Fall scene

The details differ, but the underlying experience is remarkably similar. Certain sights, sounds and experiences seem able to bypass familiarity altogether. No matter how often we encounter them, they retain the ability to stop us in our tracks and make us look again.

Perhaps that is one of life's quieter gifts. In a world that often encourages us to hurry from one task to the next, there remain certain experiences that invite us simply to pause, watch and appreciate.

And perhaps the fact that we continue to appreciate them is something to be grateful for.

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