Flight frights

[Zombie]

 

 

OK, here's the place you can post the most unpleasant / horrific / terrifying / pant wetting flying experience you've ever had.

I don't fly much so my risks are low, but there was one experience flying back from Portugal. We're more than half way through the flight at cruising altitude and thing's are ticking along nicely, trolley dolly's have finished flogging tat, passengers are snoozing, kids are laughing and kicking the seat in front [mine] - the usual stuff. Everything's just ticketyboo when suddenly, with no warning, there's a grinding, grating screeching noise from underneath, followed by a loud roaring noise and the plane suddenly jerks forward into a steep dive. Passengers screamed, someone was shouting "We're all gonna die!" [i kid you not] and there was mayhem. After about a minute the plane then leveled out and resumed normal flight. Not a squeak from the captain or flight crew. It was as if it had never happened. Talking to my brother afterwards he suggested there was a strong tailwind and lowering the undercarriage [the cause of the racket] meant the plane could rapidly lose height and speed in preparation for the approach to land. I guess this was cheap entertainment for the flight crew, or maybe they wanted passengers to test out the sick bags ... 
 

 

 

 

 

[Arpeggio]

I had been on a plane a few times before 9/11, but right after it happened, and living in NYC, I was terrified about getting on one again. Then I moved to TN a few months later. I couldn't sleep cause I thought we would be taking a plane there, but we ended up driving. Sometime between then and turning 15, I got over that fear.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Arpeggio

[MikeL]

My wife and I were returning to Memphis from Houston on a flight that was scheduled to stop in Shreveport.  There was some turbulence approaching Shreveport.  We were just seconds from touching down when the plane hit a wind shear and slammed down onto the runway.  It was a pretty good jolt. People screamed. Overhead bin doors flew open.  Luggage rained down hitting several people in the head.

 

After the airplane rolled onto the taxiway, the captain came on the intercom and apologized for the rough landing.  He explained that, when the wind shear hit, we were too low to pull up and go around and it was best to proceed with the landing.  I couldn't help but tell my wife, "What he means is that landing was better than none."  She did not appreciate my humor.    

 

I've never been afraid of flying except helicopters.  Hate them, but that's another story.

Edited February 1, 2013 by MikeL

[Cyhort]

You know, I'm terrified of heights. Terrified. My boyfriend forced me into one of those pirate ship things at the carnival that swing you up and let you fall -not even the ones that turn you all around, mind you, the wimpy ones- and he still hasn't gotten over how much of a screaming pussy I was on that thing. But as much as I hate heights I've never had a single problem on a plane. Not even one of those small, four person planes when I was in the front seat. And helicopters? I love them, they're awesome. I took like three helicopter tours of Orlando in a row when I was there a few years ago. The only bad experience I've ever had in a plane was a slightly cramped seat in a two hour connecting flight. That's it.

[Andy78]

My only awful experience was on a propeller plane flight many years ago.

 

I was ten or eleven and a very experienced flyer, and as a family we'd gone to Denmark for a couple of weeks.  We were on an internal flight from Copenhagen to Billund (for Legoland), and I was used to nice graceful descents as the plane lands.  Well, this plane decided it was more fun to just simply plummet a few hundred feet at a time.  Needless to say I redecorated my cousin

[TetRefine]

I absolutely love flying, but I've had two hair-raising experiences. My first was the first flight I ever took. We were flying from Newark to Nassua, Bahamas, and there was some pretty nasty weather over the Atlantic. We hit a couple air pockets, which caused the 737 to shake and drop suddenly. Thinking back on it now it wasn't so scary, but when you're 12 and flying for the first time its scary as hell.

 

The second hair raising experience I had was flying from Philadelphia back home to Manchester the day before Thanksgiving. It was a really windy morning, and there was a very strong cross-wind blowing through our approach lane. The wings were shaking, and you could tell the pilots couldn't keep the plane on its path because he kept having to rock the wings and make steep course corrections. The lady next to me gripped my wrist so hard I almost lost feeling, lol. As we touched down, we were way off center of the runway and the grass next to the runway was way too close to the plane for comfort.

Edited February 13, 2013 by TetRefine

[Maximoff]

I was flying to JFK from Stockholm. Just before landing, the plane took a huge gust of wind and turned sideways. You could see the tarmac from the right-side windows. It was maybe 100-200 meters to ground. Thankfully the pilot could steer it back levelled and land. Was so frightening, my heart was ready to jump out of my chest. When getting off the plane the pilot and the stewardess looked a bit distressed as well. But kept everything cool. 

[Cia]

Oh great topic for me to read 2 weeks before the kids and  I fly cross-country to Florida. Niiiice. Truthfully, I've flown  a lot and never had more than turbulence. Lucky me. I'm more afraid of being the adult on the plane with the annoying ass kids than being on the plane in general, lol.

[Yettie One]

When I was pretty young, Mom, Dad and I were returning to Harare from a holiday at Victoria Falls, flying in an antiquated Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount when we hit a low pressure air pocket and the plane plummeted how ever far down it was before normal flight was restored, but the one thing that sticks out clear in my mind is seeing people rise up off their seats almost as if they had gained some strange powers of levitation.

I guess it was a great example of why they say if you are in a plane and not wondering around, keep the belt on.

 

I've done a lot of flying since then, and the only other problem I've ever had was not with the plane as such. I flew to New York once with the flu, and on decent into JFK my ears would not pop!!! OMG That is the worst feeling in the world. I thought my head was going to pop, and when they did finally equalise it was with a clear audible noise. Horrible.  

 

I love flying, and I love airshows. Planes are fascinating. 

[TetRefine]

When I was pretty young, Mom, Dad and I were returning to Harare from a holiday at Victoria Falls, flying in an antiquated Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount when we hit a low pressure air pocket and the plane plummeted how ever far down it was before normal flight was restored, but the one thing that sticks out clear in my mind is seeing people rise up off their seats almost as if they had gained some strange powers of levitation.

I guess it was a great example of why they say if you are in a plane and not wondering around, keep the belt on.

 

I've done a lot of flying since then, and the only other problem I've ever had was not with the plane as such. I flew to New York once with the flu, and on decent into JFK my ears would not pop!!! OMG That is the worst feeling in the world. I thought my head was going to pop, and when they did finally equalise it was with a clear audible noise. Horrible.

 

I love flying, and I love airshows. Planes are fascinating. 

 

I have the same problem. My ears, for whatever reason, don't pop while flying so  I have to pinch my nose shut, close my mouth and blow through my nose. Otherwise my ears will never naturally pop and its painful.

 

I actually have a story of being a plane idiot from a recent experience. Over the summer, I flew from New York to Sao Paulo which is almost a 10 hour flight. During that ten hours, I got up to go to the bathroom only once around the second hour. For the rest of the eight hours I didn't move from my seat. When we finally landed, I tried getting up but almost fell into the seat next to me because my legs had gone almost completely numb from sitting in the seat for so long. Needless to say I was thoroughly embarrassed while I had to sit for a few minutes to let the feeling come back into my legs.

[joann414]

Several years ago I flew to New York with six friends that were all nurses.  We actually drove to Memphis Tn to catch a flight.  We had been in the air about an hourwhen one of my friends pulled a bag of chips out of her bag, and the compression in the cabin had caused the bag to fill with air.  It was like a balloon.  We were toward the back of the plane and the flight attendant saw our predicament and even got tickled.  She knew what was going to happen when the bag was opened.  Sure enough, when my friend dared to open the bag, it sounded like a gunshot.  People screamed and some even jumped up from their seats.  Needless to say, they found no humor in it as did the flight attendant.  The other two attendants were frantically trying to explain to the others what had happened. I laughed until I cried even tho I am sure there were some that wanted to strangle me

[Zombie]

I actually have a story of being a plane idiot from a recent experience. Over the summer, I flew from New York to Sao Paulo which is almost a 10 hour flight. During that ten hours, I got up to go to the bathroom only once around the second hour. For the rest of the eight hours I didn't move from my seat. When we finally landed, I tried getting up but almost fell into the seat next to me because my legs had gone almost completely numb from sitting in the seat for so long. Needless to say I was thoroughly embarrassed while I had to sit for a few minutes to let the feeling come back into my legs. 

 

There's a serious point here. It's good idea regularly to waggle your legs up and down, get up from your seat to walk around every hour and drink water during the flight to avoid DVT [deep vein thrombosis] especially if you're in economy - like most of us Airlines don't do enough to tell passengers about this risk - I guess the crew don't want passengers walking around blocking the sales trolleys - but I know someone who died of this because they just sat more or less immobile during a flight. The blood clot that had formed during the flight only killed him after he'd got home.

[Alex Sweeney]

Uhm, just flying. AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

 

Yes, those are the three exclamation marks that signify this subject completely unhinges me.

 

I spent days out of my life a few years back travelling across UK and taking a ferry back and forth to Ireland, rather than fly. It is not nice.

Edited February 13, 2013 by Alex Sweeney

[FrenchCanadian]

Personally, I don't mind much about flying, I feel safe enough. However I always hated the take off part, when it goes up at like 45 degree angle... 

[K.C.]

In all the years that I've traveled there has only been one flight that I actually screamed and grabbed my best friend's leg (left a massive bruise too!)

 

Flying home from Florida at night, we passed through a bad thunderstorm and hit one of those crazy air pockets and the plane instantly dropped mid-air about 25-30 feet.  The lights went out for a few seconds, things got tossed around only 1-2 people had bumps/bruises since they didn't have their seatbelts on.

 

Afterwards we laughed but I really thought we would die that night 

[SilverNitro]

It was for a while where I'd have a fear of taking off. I don't mind flying as long as I have the window seat. Taking off is always scary for me, even today, but I try not to let it affect me as I have no power over it.

 

My favorite uncle died 10 years ago from a plane crash while taking off, so I guess that's why I have had this fear. It also inspired me to get into the engineering and inspection field, where I am currently employed at now, so I can ensure defective parts that may lead to crashes does not escape my eyes. (RIP Uncle Mark C. , still miss you, even to this day!)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Midwest_Flight_5481

 

It's also another reason why I will REFUSE to fly US Air. I don't TRUST them at all. If there's a slightly more expensive flight to the same destination that's not US Air, I'd take it.

 

Other than the take-off part, I usually find flying fascinating, mostly due to my interest in geography, and the ability to see the ground from up high.

Edited February 14, 2013 by SilverNitro

[TetRefine]

It was for a while where I'd have a fear of taking off. I don't mind flying as long as I have the window seat. Taking off is always scary for me, even today, but I try not to let it affect me as I have no power over it.

 

My favorite uncle died 10 years ago from a plane crash while taking off, so I guess that's why I have had this fear. It also inspired me to get into the engineering and inspection field, where I am currently employed at now, so I can ensure defective parts that may lead to crashes does not escape my eyes. (RIP Uncle Mark C. , still miss you, even to this day!)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Midwest_Flight_5481

 

It's also another reason why I will REFUSE to fly US Air. I don't TRUST them at all. If there's a slightly more expensive flight to the same destination that's not US Air, I'd take it.

 

Other than the take-off part, I usually find flying fascinating, mostly due to my interest in geography, and the ability to see the ground from up high.

 

Yeah, US Airways has got to be one of the worst airlines I've had the displeasure of flying with. Their service is downright horrible. Unfortunately, since they dominate the Philadelphia market I'm stuck always flying them. Now since they are merging with American, they'll be no more.

 

Sorry about you're uncle.