irrational fear of flying

[Dave Thompson]

Yup, LOTS of weather in the PNW! Today we went to the Washington Wine country, about a 260 mile round trip and in just a few hours experienced a near 30 degree swing in temps, plus brilliant sun to near black skies and winds that ranged from gentle breeze to 40 mph gusts. We sure don’t live in a boring area.

[rwsaunders]

You were down low due to likely high altitude turbulence. In spite of that high wind, it may have been higher at a higher altitude.

I took a screenshot of a generic DTW-SEA flight plan on our weather app and the route you would have taken likely flew through areas of known or forecast bad rides. The green areas are generated to show areas of likely turbulence, with the boxed ones depicting moderate turbulence and the round ones light to occasional moderate. The orange splotches are based on winds at altitude AFAIK and also predict turbulence. Both are WAGs in my experience. But this can be a useful tool at times.

Flying lower is almost always better in my experience and you likely had a better ride at 26,000' than you would have at 36,000'.

Airbus A320?

Jim..737-900ER.

[rwsaunders]

PS…I was telling another Salonista this evening that to add a sad note to yesterday’s flight (DL2260 DTW-SEA), we had a passenger go into cardiac arrest while seated at the gate in DTW, just prior to closing the door. In spite of the efforts of some passengers and FA’s to revive him until the paramedics arrived, we were informed later while we were in the air that he passed away. Male, looked to be in his 40’s, traveling with a coworker.

It took over 20 minutes for the airport paramedics to arrive after the head FA notified the captain and I was a little surprised that it took that long, given that it was 9:30pm, the airport clearly wasn’t crowded and the ambulance arrived via the tarmac. He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing by the time that the paramedics arrived. After several more attempts with the AED and doing chest compressions, the paramedics essentially dragged the poor fellow down the aisle from row 17 by his feet, with two people lifting him by his arms as well, a site which disturbed quite a few people. Peace to the pour soul.

[Sascha Roszak]

This is all I could think of when I read the thread title...

Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 5.13.48 pm.jpg

[Saab2000]

This is all I could think of when I read the thread title...

Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 5.13.48 pm.jpg

And that is, obviously, the greatest aviation movie ever.

[Scott G.]

And that is, obviously, the greatest aviation movie ever.

"Zero Hour!" is retroactively funny thanks to "Airplane"
Zero Hour was co-written by Arthur Hailey, writer of the over acting masterpiece "Airport"
Airplane is a shot by shot remake of Zero Hour!

Dana Andrews as Ted Stryker, standing left, looking extra grim.
zerohour4.png

[Saab2000]

"Zero Hour!" is retroactively funny thanks to "Airplane"
Zero Hour was co-written by Arthur Hailey, writer of the over acting masterpiece "Airport"
Airplane is a shot by shot remake of Zero Hour!

Dana Andrews as Ted Stryker, standing left, looking extra grim.
zerohour4.png

I have watched parts of Zero Hour and am aware that the producers of Airplane bought the rights because it is clearly not an original film and would have immediately been sued for copyright infringement. Even so, Airplane is funny to me and the jokes and gags are right out of real life in this business, even if exaggerated.

[gregl]

I have watched parts of Zero Hour and am aware that the producers of Airplane bought the rights because it is clearly not an original film and would have immediately been sued for copyright infringement. Even so, Airplane is funny to me and the jokes and gags are right out of real life in this business, even if exaggerated.

I was a teenage "ramp rat" at the local airport when Airplane came out in 1980. Nearly all the employees of the FBO went to see the movie at a drive-in. I remember laughing my head off because the gags were way too close to reality! I really need to sit down and type up all the funny stories I remember from those days. Throwing bags into the baggage hold only to hear a "crash" followed by the contents leaking out. Having only one climate-controlled baggage area on a small, commuter airliner - but two cats in separate carriers and trying to figure out how to keep both of them alive (spoiler alert - no cats were physically injured in the completion of that flight...). The list could go on for hours...

Greg

[bigbill]

My Naval Academy son was selected for Marine Pilot this morning. He won't know if he's fixed wing or rotary for about 18 months.

[gregl]

My Naval Academy son was selected for Marine Pilot this morning. He won't know if he's fixed wing or rotary for about 18 months.

Congratulations! Some of my fondest memories as an engineer were supporting Marine Corps radar and air defense systems around the world. The Marines were my favorite service to work with. Smart, hard-working, and can-do attitudes. If they saw the same attributes in their contractor support personnel, they "adopted" you into their units. I always felt like part of the team when traveling with the Marines. May your son stay safe and have great experiences while serving his country! Semper Fi!

Greg

[Mabouya]

I have to say, it was a bit disconcerting to read all the light-hearted posts after RW's #703 , with no acknowledgement of that small tragedy.

RIP stranger - shame to die so young, but at least it was quick.

[rwsaunders]

Seal on one of the cargo bay doors was enough of an issue to require the passengers to deplane before taking off. After we saw our pilot carrying a roll of aluminum duct tape to attend to the rear of the aircraft and announce on the mic a few minutes later that the mechanic had misdiagnosed the issue, we all asked for a drink. What a week of flying.

[BBB]

Slight thread diversion here...but what type of psychological testing do you have to undertake as a commercial pilot and how often is the testing repeated?

The reason I ask is that a commercial pilot has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of an older couple who went camping in the Australian Alps. Here's some background:

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ever-came-back

This couple are not the only ones who have disappeared in the alps, which are admittedly rough and remote. See here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-...tains/12455124

The pilot has been arrested in connection with the older couple only. In any event, a pilot doesn't usually fit the mould of someone who would kill and presumably any psychological testing would (you hope) weed out the nutters. After all, we place an awful lot of trust in pilots.

[Mabouya]

Something to add to the "fear of flying"

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/b...smid=url-share

PARIS — An Air France flight from Paris to New York lands on March 10, 2021, after passing through a terrifying storm. One hundred and six days later, the same Boeing 787 flight with the same crew, the same passengers and the same damage from an identical storm approaches the east coast of the United States. It’s impossible — the passengers and crew must be doubles — and yet.

This is the crux of “The Anomaly,” a novel by Hervé Le Tellier that has become a French literary phenomenon, and is being released in translation in the United States by Other Press on Tuesday.

[rwsaunders]

[bigbill]

My son is flying from Baltimore to Vegas today. He texted to once again thank me for getting him a Clear membership. He said it was worth an hour+ today. He's on Southwest, maybe Saab is his pilot.

[rwsaunders]

[gregl]

IMO this is a perfectly rationale reason to fear flying: https://www.localsyr.com/news/woman-...from-syracuse/

Greg

[rwsaunders]

^ jeeeeeeez...I wish that I could unread that headline.

[j44ke]

Well at least she didn't attack any of the cabin crew?