irrational fear of flying

[bigbill]

My son will start his last phase of NIFE school in Pensacola soon. Since he did ground school and was evaluated by a Navy Instructor Pilot in a Cessna 172 while still at the Naval Academy, he could skip much of NIFE. He hasn't flown in over a year, but it doesn't matter. He heads to Corpus Christi around Thanksgiving, where he'll fly the T-6, and Big Navy/Marines will decide if he's fixed wing or rotary. He'll be in a cockpit by January. He wants to fly C-130s which is a very slim possibility. If he selects, he'll stay in the Corpus area to train in Queenaires.

I ask him to please not ask for Ospreys. He, in no way, wants that airframe. It's a common feeling in the training pipeline. I'd rather see him in a dinosaur AV-8; at least he can eject.

[cny rider]

I thought the pilot sounded amazingly cool on the audio.

I agree but there had to be a need for fresh underwear all around after they got down.

[Saab2000]

I ask him to please not ask for Ospreys. He, in no way, wants that airframe. It's a common feeling in the training pipeline. I'd rather see him in a dinosaur AV-8; at least he can eject.

That airframe should be retired. It was likely ahead of its time and a newer aircraft of its type will likely be better/safer.

I work with lots of C-130 drivers in my day job.

No military experience here personally but I’ve seen them all and heard all the stories. Nothing but positive about the C-130. 4 engines 4 better sleep.

[72gmc]

My wife and I were visiting the little island in NYC earlier this week (https://littleisland.org/) when I heard what I thought was a loud helicopter. Turned out to be an Osprey going overhead, up the Hudson River. I was very surprised given what I’ve read about them. When I searched it to explain to my wife what it was, the second item on the list was a story about a deadly crash.

[Mabouya]

I'd rather see him in a dinosaur AV-8; at least he can eject.

If he does end up in the AV-8B he'll be in one of the few fixed-wing aircraft that can fly backwards...

[bigbill]

If he does end up in the AV-8B he'll be in one of the few fixed-wing aircraft that can fly backwards...

His group is probably the last that can go to AV-8s. They are being replaced by the F-35B, a squadron at a time. The remaining AV-8s are getting good flight hours, but that's what happens when spare parts are parked all over the tarmac.

[bigbill]

That airframe should be retired. It was likely ahead of its time and a newer aircraft of its type will likely be better/safer.

I work with lots of C-130 drivers in my day job.

No military experience here personally but I’ve seen them all and heard all the stories. Nothing but positive about the C-130. 4 engines 4 better sleep.

Every subcommunity in Marine aviation has its own personality. My son spent time with a C-130 squadron and really enjoyed the lifestyle. A big, lumbering aircraft with a lot of range and little excitement. He also enjoyed time spent with the CH-53 community. The rotary version of a Hercules. He currently has no intention of a post-Marines aviation career unless he gets on with the FBI after his MBA.

[rwsaunders]

An AirTag, persistence and someone who actually gave a $hit helped this kid get his bike back from Belgium.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/b...tag/index.html

[72gmc]

An AirTag, persistence and someone who actually gave a $hit helped this kid get his bike back from Belgium.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/b...tag/index.html

Who won't fly United because of stories like this? Me!

[Chik]

Not a fan of United. This story has haunted me ever since it broke and has made me hesitant to fly with my current dog who is too big to join me in the cabin.

https://www.businessinsider.com/mode...12-9?r=US&IR=T

But as far as luggage cock-ups go, I once flew New York to Zurich on Delta, and they sent my luggage to Honolulu. I don't believe there was a non-stop flight between JFK and HNL, so I don't even understand how they managed to get my suitcase over there. They managed to get it to me 3 days later when I had already left Zurich the day before and was deep in the Engadin. It must have cost them a fortune to have it delivered to me given Swiss rates.

[Chik]

And, oh, speaking of lost bikes, when a group of us did the Raid Pyrénéen, 3 of our friends who flew from Bermuda to Gatwick got completely buggered by British Airways. Their bikes didn't turn up at Gatwick, but they had to get on their connecting flight with EasyJet to join us as planned.

They made arrangements to rent bikes near Hendaye, our starting point. One guy had no choice but to take a rig with 39/53 chain set with 11-25 cassette -- somewhat of a torture to do the Pyrenees.

One guy was put in charge to follow up with BA in the UK several times a day, with each call entailing some very long wait times. I cannot imagine what his Bermudian mobile phone bill looked like after that trip.

They actually managed to get hold of the bikes reasonably quickly. However, since we were constantly moving, our hotel address changed daily. Because their internal process was inefficient, the delivery van was always one day too late in reaching us. Which meant more phone calls everyday.

By the fourth day, it was decided that there is no point getting the bikes delivered in France, so the boys told BA to just send them back to Bermuda. BA managed to deliver the bikes to Bermuda without losing them again.

Between the bike rental fees and the phone charges, I don't know what the damage was, but it definitely wasn't pretty.

[rwsaunders]

Boy…I’ll take a few weather bumps and a go-around or two any day over a case of a fellow passenger having the “runs” on a flight…

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2405625.html

[echappist]

Boy…I’ll take a few weather bumps and a go-around or two any day over a case of a fellow passenger having the “runs” on a flight…

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2405625.html

biohazard sounds about right, given some of GI discomfort inducing microbes can get airborne and cause illness in others (e.g. 2003 Sars sharticles that spread through faulty plumbing lines).

[j44ke]

I was on a plane where a passenger put a glass bottle of perfume in a paper bag into the overhead where it was crushed by another passenger's bag shortly after take off on a flight from PHX to NY (I think? W->E something.) The perfume flowed out of the compartment and somehow drained into the ventilation so the whole plane filled with a very intense concentration of smell. It was merely annoying at first but as the intensity increased, people started getting dizzy and nauseous and there was a significant amount of vomiting going on in the plane. Fortunately the flight was smooth. Long flight. Not Chanel #5 .

[j44ke]

Good AirTag story from a while ago.

[bigbill]

I remember the back of a plane being the smoking section. Then, the FAA phased out smoking on all flights in gradual steps. The US either lagged or led the rest of the world in banning smoking on airliners. I remember two experiences with smokers after the ban. The first was a connecting flight from St. Louis to Seattle on TWA in the late 90s. I had been on the East Coast attending a hazardous material officer's course near Jacksonville, FL. At the time, I was in special projects with high-security clearances, so when I arrived at the gate and saw dozens of Russian nationals, I panicked a little. I just kept my head down and didn't speak to anyone. On the plane, the flight attendants were kept busy at the gate telling passengers to stop smoking. When the plane was taxiing, and flight attendants took their seats, people lit up again. Of course, the one guy got out of his seat to get something out of the overhead bin during takeoff as the plane rotated. The flight attendants played whack-a-mole with smokers for the entire flight.

2007, I was in Sardinia and frequently flew Meridiana from Olbia to Rome. I think they were all MD-80s. On a flight back to Olbia, I had an exit row aisle seat next to a glamorous-looking woman. She lit up at the gate, and a flight attendant told her to put it out. That was a fun argument that was easy to follow because of all the hand gestures. Once we were airborne for the 45-minute flight, she lit up again. When we arrived in Olbia, airport security was waiting for her. I would have liked to have stuck around for that argument, but I had to catch a bus back to Palau.

[Chik]

Boy…I’ll take a few weather bumps and a go-around or two any day over a case of a fellow passenger having the “runs” on a flight…

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2405625.html

Oh, nice. Along a similar line, has this incident on Air France been mentioned in this thread already?

[rwsaunders]

Lots of late night flights making noise, so I had to do some research…weather delays at LGA and the resultant merry-go-round holding patterns. Hopefully no blood and diarrhea this time.

[Chik]

Boy…I’ll take a few weather bumps and a go-around or two any day over a case of a fellow passenger having the “runs” on a flight…

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-b2405625.html

It does not look pretty... Viewer discretion advised. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw2d8...c4MmM1YmI2Ng==

[echappist]

Goodness me. Talk about shyte show royale...

In other news, PM Trudeau's flight has issues, joining the list of various ministers who have recently been stranded.