UAE: When I flipped, rolled and saw RAK upside down at 400kmph

It was the ride of my life — being 5,000 feet in the air was such a euphoric feeling. I was offered the opportunity to go on an amazing air adventure with Action Flight — UAE’s first commercial aerobatic flight experience in Ras Al Khaimah; to fly over the emirate's beautiful sky and do some maneuvers on Thursday. And I must say, it was a feeling that was just truly out of this world.

For someone who had never been to RAK, the trip itself was breathtaking. Arriving at the RAK airport, I was greeted by the team members of Action Flight, filled with energy and excitement. The anticipation was building up while they gave me a tour of the hangar, which is a building that houses these aircraft that are known for their power and speed.

While adrenaline was rushing in, worries started creeping in with all the questions. Will I be feeling sick up there? What if I passed out and what if anything wrong happened?

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“You have a microphone so you can talk to me and I can talk to you. I will talk to you through everything so I can be sure you’re fine all the time,” Wayn Jack, director of Flight Operations and chief executive officer/founder of Action Flight, and my designated pilot, reassured me as he gave me the safety instructions and explained everything in a simple language that I could understand.

Informed and reassured, I got geared up with my flight suit and the parachute, and we headed to the aircraft. As normal flying itself can be thrilling, the first moment the engine of the aircraft starts, you can feel all the adrenaline rush.

Wayn explained the route of the flight — starting from RAK airport, towards Al Hamara and Marjan islands and then climbing up to 5,000 feet, and positioning ourselves at Marjan island resorts.

And then, the fun began. Wayn was doing different maneuvers — from looping and rolling around the sky with mountains around us and the water below us. Sometimes, we were facing the water when we flipped the aircraft.

The 20-minute ride was filled with different expressions and an array of emotions — from excitement to shouting whenever the aircraft did a loop and sometimes having a straight face and just admiring the sights around me. It was unbelievable and in that crazy moment, I noticed that I had tears rolling down my eyes — tears of joy.

• Coming soon to UAE’s RAK: Integrated gaming resort, new hotels, more Jebel Jais adventures