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Paul Corfield wrote:
On Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:31:16 -0500, Recliner wrote: People I've met with this fear sometimes developed it after a bad flight, while others are just afraid of not being in control when the plane manoeuvres in the sky. When they do fly, they avoid window seats (I love them) and some also have a fear of heights. Reminds me of my first flight. I'd not given it a second thought despite never having flown. I was sat next to a young woman who was repeatedly fiddling with a bracelet. She obviously saw me looking at what she was doing and said it was some sort of "calming" device as she didn't like flying. I probably didn't help by saying "I've never flown and have no idea whether I am scared or not". I'm not good with heights but have no issue with looking out of an aeroplane even when coming in to land. I also enjoy take off as you hurtle down the runway wondering if several tons of plane, people and cargo can make it off the ground. ;-) The thing that gets me is taking off in a propeller plane. They always seem to be slow to get off the ground, making me wonder if it'll ever take off, but then rise up anyway. They often have nice big windows, too. Perhaps my hairiest flight was in a small single-engined sight-seeing plane over the Grand Canyon, where I occupied the co-pilot's seat. The pilot could see me taking pics, so he went out of his way to bank steeply as we manoeuvred over the Canyon, so I got the best possible shots. The rising air was bumpy, so I felt the need to hang on, but not to any of the moving dual controls in front of me. It was one of those exhilarating flights which you simultaneously want to go on forever, and to end immediately. A more amusing flight was taking off from Aberdeen's short runway. The pilot has to go for maximum thrust, and an ice bucket came loose in the forward galley as we banked away. The ice cubes slid smoothly right down the full length of the 757, staying perfectly in the centre, demonstrating how well balanced a plane is, with zero cant deficiency. The loneliest flight is from Santiago to Easter Island, the world's most isolated airport. The entire route is over the South Pacific, with nothing at all underneath and no diversion airports. Consequently, no more than one plane at a time can be en route to it, lest one have a bad landing and block the single runway. I've no idea where the nearest railway station is, but it's certainly thousands of miles away. |
#2
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On Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:02:56 -0500 Recliner wrote :
The thing that gets me is taking off in a propeller plane. They always seem to be slow to get off the ground, making me wonder if it'll ever take off, but then rise up anyway. They often have nice big windows, too. Perhaps my hairiest flight was in a small single-engined sight-seeing plane over the Grand Canyon, where I occupied the co-pilot's seat. The pilot could see me taking pics, so he went out of his way to bank steeply as we manoeuvred over the Canyon, so I got the best possible shots. The rising air was bumpy, so I felt the need to hang on, but not to any of the moving dual controls in front of me. It was one of those exhilarating flights which you simultaneously want to go on forever, and to end immediately. I did the same, save that it was a four seater with two of us tourists. The other guy had a video camera so I gallantly let him have the back seat where he could film from either side and I took the co-pilot's seat. No sooner had we taken off than I started remembering those films where the pilot has a heart attack and someone who has never flown a plane before has to take the controls .... No need to worry though: he was an off duty airline pilot making some extra money. -- Tony B |
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