Wonder & Dread

A stadium crowd looks up in golden light as two fighter jets fly low overhead against a stormy sky.

Wonder and dread can share the same breath. Most days do.

Thousands of people looked up at once.

On August 29, two Airlink jets crossed low over DHL Stadium in Cape Town before the Springboks–All Blacks Test — flight-tracking analysis put the lead aircraft at roughly 41–46 feet above the roof. Some watched in delight. Others didn't like how close it felt.

I wasn't interested in recreating the flyover itself. I was interested in the half-second where wonder and worry occupy the exact same body.