Once through the tower, a slight climb would clear the open area between the buildings of the Trocadero Museum. Someone has flown through the Arc de Triomphe, with mere feet to spare. In comparison, the Eiffel Tower made the aircraft carrier Lexington look like a postage stamp. You could fly a 747 through the Eiffel Tower with a bit of room to spare. As he wandered around the airplane becoming more and more nervous, I sensed he would back out of the flight.
Some ideas sound great after a bottle of wine but lose their brilliance in the cold light of day.
He didn't want to risk his life on some silly, possibly suicidal flight. But then he looked into the airplane and suddenly settled down and was ready. I filed a visual flight plan to Shannon, Ireland, and we set off on our adventure, camera running. Dickie had a VHF radio and stood at the base of the tower. He would give me last minute information about safety in the event the authorities had caught wind of our idea.