We've seen the report of the extreme turbulence experienced by the planes coming into DC on Thursday. DW and I happened to be flying into Detroit from LA on the same day, and it was bumpy due to the snowstorm, but nothing like that.
But it did remind me of the worst flying day of my life. It was in November 17, 1989 and I was flying from Elmira NY to Newark, to catch a plane to Atlanta.
In those days Continental was flying twin engine Beeches for short hops, this one had maybe 20 seats. I was sitting in the back. Instead of flying straight to Newark we stopped in Binghamton to pick up some people. This was because Newark was limiting incoming flights due to the weather.
On the way we hit some bad weather and we were all over the sky. Up, down, up, at times you could hear the plane being rattled with hail. In front of me was a flight attendant being shuttled to Newark for a flight out of there, and we hit one huge down draft. She turned around to me and said "wow, I've never been in a bump like that", and she didn't look happy. Then people started barfing.
I was in those days a nervous flyer, so I was terrified but not pukey.
So the plane smells like vomit, and some folks are actually screaming things like "we're going to die", and the pilot comes on to tell us we've been sent into a holding pattern and will be holding over Newburgh NY until we can land. And then it got worse. And we lived like this for another 40 minutes or so.
For some reason they only had a little curtain separating the cabin from the cockpit, and they left it open. I was sitting in the middle seat in the back row so I could see into the cockpit, see out the windshield and could also see what looked like a radar screen which was entirely green.
After we landed, and we were deplaning I was the last person off of the plane and the crew were standing near the door and I said "Boy, I bet your glad that's over with" and the pilot said. "oh, we're going back."
The next day in Atlanta, I read that an identical aircraft, flying from Buffalo to Newark had to make an emergency landing in Albany because something wasn't working right after a big bump, and tragically, that day, while we were bumping around above Newburgh, a tornado hit an elementary school in Newburgh and 7 children were killed.
Interestingly, to me, is that day cured me of my nervousness about flying. I guess I came to realize just how tough those planes are. But I'm still happy when I see those twin engine jet commuters instead of those two props.
But it did remind me of the worst flying day of my life. It was in November 17, 1989 and I was flying from Elmira NY to Newark, to catch a plane to Atlanta.
In those days Continental was flying twin engine Beeches for short hops, this one had maybe 20 seats. I was sitting in the back. Instead of flying straight to Newark we stopped in Binghamton to pick up some people. This was because Newark was limiting incoming flights due to the weather.
On the way we hit some bad weather and we were all over the sky. Up, down, up, at times you could hear the plane being rattled with hail. In front of me was a flight attendant being shuttled to Newark for a flight out of there, and we hit one huge down draft. She turned around to me and said "wow, I've never been in a bump like that", and she didn't look happy. Then people started barfing.
I was in those days a nervous flyer, so I was terrified but not pukey.
So the plane smells like vomit, and some folks are actually screaming things like "we're going to die", and the pilot comes on to tell us we've been sent into a holding pattern and will be holding over Newburgh NY until we can land. And then it got worse. And we lived like this for another 40 minutes or so.
For some reason they only had a little curtain separating the cabin from the cockpit, and they left it open. I was sitting in the middle seat in the back row so I could see into the cockpit, see out the windshield and could also see what looked like a radar screen which was entirely green.
After we landed, and we were deplaning I was the last person off of the plane and the crew were standing near the door and I said "Boy, I bet your glad that's over with" and the pilot said. "oh, we're going back."
The next day in Atlanta, I read that an identical aircraft, flying from Buffalo to Newark had to make an emergency landing in Albany because something wasn't working right after a big bump, and tragically, that day, while we were bumping around above Newburgh, a tornado hit an elementary school in Newburgh and 7 children were killed.
Interestingly, to me, is that day cured me of my nervousness about flying. I guess I came to realize just how tough those planes are. But I'm still happy when I see those twin engine jet commuters instead of those two props.
