There’s no doubting that Tom Cassells is one of the best – he’s been on the podium at almost every national event he’s taken part in since 1998 and has been the top-ranked British pilot at both European and World level. It’s quite likely that you may have seen him in action on TV, including Top Gear where he was matched up against the programme’s racing driver, The Stig. “I raced him around Dunsfold circuit,” says Tom. “He was in an extremely fast, radical sports saloon. Beat him, though.”

In fact, so extreme are Tom’s performances, that he doesn’t so much push the envelope as rip it up and shred it. And much of that is down to the CAP 232. “It’s a beautiful aircraft,” confirms Tom. “Does everything you could ask of it and more.” 

Earlier in this article we said we’d describe the plane using superlatives. But on second thoughts, there’s really no need – for a straight description of  this mighty little aircraft is just as impressive. 

Built in France, the CAP 232 has a silky-smooth wooden fuselage that takes more than 2,000 hours to build and finish. For extra strength – and absolutely necessary in a machine cleared to pull plus or minus 10g – the wings are constructed of carbon fibre. The motor has inverted fuel and  oil systems to allow peak performance no matter which way up it happens to be. The CAP 232’s speed is quoted as ranging from +220 to -60 knots, which – yes – means it’s capable of doing 60 in reverse, very useful when tumbling out of the sky in one of those heart-in-mouth aerial manoeuvres. Finally, the plane rolls at 420 degrees a second – that’s 70 times a minute. “It goes faster than that in a flick roll,” adds Tom. “It’s just that I haven’t been able to time it as yet!”

For any top aerobatic pilot, flying a plane like this along the ragged edge of human capability depends on a combination of in-depth expertise and rapid reaction. “I’ve seen videos of myself tugging at the stick, but I’m honestly not aware of what I’m doing as I’m doing it,” says Tom. “It’s a muscle-memory thing, you know like a touch typist or a concert pianist. You don’t have time to physically think about what’s happening. All I see are pictures of the earth moving around me.” 

For Tom Cassells, there’s something else about what he does which, although he’s well aware of it, he refuses to countenance: The danger. “Never think about it,” is all he says. And how could he? For  if he did, he wouldn’t go up in the first place. 

After a series of hair-raising passes over the truck, Tom completes the photoshoot with a breathtaking display. There’s a broad grin as he touches down, leaving us in no doubt that this is a very special love affair indeed. Flying, (and parachuting), first entered his life during his army days and its just gone on from there. Since then, family holidays have been foregone in favour of practice and competition and these days he’s busy every weekend polishing his own routine and helping train the stars of the future. 

At the end of our day together, Tom runs through his checks once more and prepares to fly off into the sunset. With a wave, he’s gone. If this were the movies, that would be the cue for music. But what tune to play? We settle for a verse of Pink Floyd:
There’s no sensation to compare with this,
Suspended animation, a state of bliss,
Can’t keep my mind from the circling skies,
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

OK, as an extremely successful businessman too, the last line clearly doesn’t apply to Tom Cassells. But the rest of it? 

You can almost hear him humming it.