Air Travel & Island Trips – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 hot-air balloon 10 stadium 11 national park 12 jeep

13 wooden cabin 14 photography 15 spicy chicken

16 wild horses 17 stargazing 18 leather wallet

Clara: Hi, I’m Clara, and I want to tell you about the incredible surprise my dad planned for my eighteenth birthday last month. My dad loves planning surprises. For my 18th, he blindfolded me and drove us to a local airfield. I’d convinced myself we were going on a hot-air balloon, mostly because I’d dropped so many hints about it! However, when the blindfold came off, I was staring at a tiny, twin-engine helicopter. I couldn’t believe it!

As we took off, the views over our region were spectacular. I was desperately looking out for our house, but we were too high up to spot it. Instead, my eyes were drawn to the stadium on the edge of the city. It looked like a tiny plastic bowl from up there!

I had no idea where we were heading. I thought maybe we’d go to the coast, as I love the sea and had actually packed my swimsuit just in case. But we flew inland, and eventually landed in the middle of a massive national park. The sheer scale of the trees and mountains was awe-inspiring.

Once we touched down on a grassy airstrip, a local guide was waiting for us. I assumed we’d be hiking from that point, which I definitely wasn’t dressed appropriately for! Fortunately, we jumped into a jeep and drove across the rugged terrain, splashing through muddy puddles along the way.

Our base for the day was surprisingly cozy. Dad usually likes modern hotels with all the typical amenities, so I figured we’d stay somewhere luxurious. But actually, it was a traditional wooden cabin, complete with a roaring fire, which felt incredibly welcoming.

Before lunch, the guide offered us a choice of activities to pass the time. Dad wanted to do some bird-watching, which sounded a bit dull to me. I opted for photography instead, and spent an hour snapping pictures of the amazing landscape and the changing light.

All that fresh air made me starving. We had a picnic prepared for us by the tour company. I usually go for cheese sandwiches on a trip like this—something simple—but the catering was much fancier, and we feasted on spicy chicken which was absolutely delicious.

In the afternoon, we went out exploring again. We were warned to look out for bears, which made me a bit nervous! We didn’t see any, but we did come across a herd of wild horses running through a valley. Watching them move so freely was breathtaking.

As it got later, the sky cleared up beautifully. The guide suggested we stay longer for some stargazing, since there was zero light pollution. I was quite tired and just wanted to get back, so I said no. Looking back, I really regret missing out on that, as the sky must have been incredible.

It was a fantastic day, and I wanted to get Dad something to say thank you. We stopped at a small visitor centre on the way home. I thought about buying him a book about the area’s history, but settled on a beautifully crafted leather wallet, which he immediately swapped his old one for. It was the perfect end to a perfect birthday.

9 helicopter 10 golf course 11 mechanic 12 leather seats

13 fuel tank 14 rollercoaster 15 ruined castle

16 dark clouds 17 headphones 18 certificate

Chloe: Hi everyone, I’m Chloe, and I’m here to tell you about an incredible experience I had recently. When my dad first told me his friend was taking us flying for the weekend, my imagination went wild. I initially assumed we’d be going in a hot-air balloon, because there’s a big festival for them near our town every summer. Then dad clarified it was a light aircraft. I must admit, for a brief moment I’d secretly been hoping for a helicopter! Still, the prospect of flying in a tiny plane was absolutely thrilling.

We drove out to the airfield early on Saturday morning. I had imagined it would be situated somewhere noisy, perhaps next to the busy motorway or a large industrial estate. But instead, we turned down a narrow country lane, and the airfield was situated right beside a golf course. It was an incredibly peaceful spot, surrounded by nothing but green fields and a few trees.

The pilot, a guy named Martin, is an old acquaintance of my dad’s from their university days. Because Martin is so knowledgeable about aviation, I just figured he was a commercial pilot or a flight instructor. It turns out he actually works as a mechanic, specifically fixing up vintage cars, and just flies in his spare time as a hobby. He was really friendly and immediately put me at ease.

When we walked up to the aircraft, a four-seater Cessna, my heart skipped a beat. It looked so much smaller and more fragile than I’d anticipated. I thought the inside would be quite basic and utilitarian, maybe with hard plastic chairs. But I was genuinely amazed by the gorgeous leather seats inside. It felt surprisingly luxurious and very comfortable.

Before we could board, Martin had to perform a series of strict pre-flight checks. I watched him carefully inspect the propellers, the wings, and the tyres. I thought the engine would be the main focus, but the most important part, he explained to us, was examining the fuel tank to ensure there was absolutely no water or dirt contamination. Seeing how thorough he was made me feel much safer about the whole thing!

Soon enough, we were strapped in and taxiing down the grass runway. I expected the take-off to feel like being in a large commercial jet, you know, being forcefully pushed back into your seat. Instead, as we gathered speed and lifted off the grass, the sensation was exactly like being on a rollercoaster, complete with a sudden drop in my stomach before we steadily began to climb.

Once we were up in the air, the views were absolutely breathtaking. I spent the first ten minutes desperately trying to spot our house, but we were flying a bit too far east. However, looking down, I did manage to clearly see a ruined castle sitting on a hill. I’ve lived in this area my whole life and I’d never even noticed it from the ground!

The flight was mostly smooth and tranquil, but after about twenty or thirty minutes, things got a little bit bumpy. Martin reassured us that it wasn’t the wind causing it, as I had feared, but rather some dark clouds that we were steadily approaching. We had to change our altitude slightly to avoid the worst of the turbulence, and soon it was smooth sailing again.

One thing that surprised me was the noise. Because the engine is right there in front of you, it’s incredibly loud, meaning you can’t just chat normally to the person next to you. We didn’t use a handheld microphone system; instead, we all had to wear these heavy-duty headphones which had a built-in radio system. This meant we could hear each other perfectly, as well as listen in on the air traffic control broadcasts.

After about an hour, we headed back and landed safely at the airfield. My dad bought me a lovely framed photo of the plane as a souvenir. But the absolute best part of the day was when Martin surprised me by handing over a certificate to prove I’d successfully completed my first light aircraft flight. It was such a thoughtful gesture, and I’ve already put it up on my bedroom wall.