Plane stuff
Jul. 3rd, 2006 12:15 amThe dead license made it through four inspections in Hartford and two in Columbus. (Half TSA, half airline.) Nobody did anything with it other than glance long enough to confirm that its name matched the name printed on my ticket or boarding pass.
Sober and caffeinated, I had a squirming freakout on our first takeoff out of Hartford, but I was alone in the row and nobody had to see it. Singing along (silently) to Imogene Heap on my iPod did help a little. As always happens, maintaining a state of absolute terror takes a lot of work so I got bored of it and chilled out after a while. I was comparatively cool on the DC → Columbus leg, and the stranger next to me offered me an Altoid during descent, so I couldn't have been acting too awful.
I thought at the time that the flights over were kind of harsh in the landing department, but then there was today's flight, which really was bad. Turbulence all the way through, with a bump so awful towards the end from diving through what the pilot called "some weather" (no active precipitation, but the clouds around us were darkening and clearly up to something) that the flight attendant almost lost his footing while walking down the aisle.
It was no surprise since the pilot said it was gonna happen, though, so as horrible as it was I didn't actually fear for my life. When we broke through the clouds I turned to Zarf and croaked "The atmosphere." He said "Yes, next time pick a planet without one." Anyway, kudos to the pilot for making frequent updates over the intercom about what was coming up. Saying nothing and just bombing us into the rattling darkness would have been so much worse. I have been on flights like that, unfortunately.
And all this was on two beers. Maybe I'll try three next time, but then again maybe I'd have been much worse without any. Andy sez that he was surprised I didn't ask for more alcohol in-flight (since, surprisingly for a dinky connection jet, it was offered); I got ice water instead. The thing is that even though my rational thinking takes a back seat during all this I know that we are going to land, and that I'll be all dehydrated from travel-stress when it happens. And thinking ahead like this makes me feel a little better, too.
Sober and caffeinated, I had a squirming freakout on our first takeoff out of Hartford, but I was alone in the row and nobody had to see it. Singing along (silently) to Imogene Heap on my iPod did help a little. As always happens, maintaining a state of absolute terror takes a lot of work so I got bored of it and chilled out after a while. I was comparatively cool on the DC → Columbus leg, and the stranger next to me offered me an Altoid during descent, so I couldn't have been acting too awful.
I thought at the time that the flights over were kind of harsh in the landing department, but then there was today's flight, which really was bad. Turbulence all the way through, with a bump so awful towards the end from diving through what the pilot called "some weather" (no active precipitation, but the clouds around us were darkening and clearly up to something) that the flight attendant almost lost his footing while walking down the aisle.
It was no surprise since the pilot said it was gonna happen, though, so as horrible as it was I didn't actually fear for my life. When we broke through the clouds I turned to Zarf and croaked "The atmosphere." He said "Yes, next time pick a planet without one." Anyway, kudos to the pilot for making frequent updates over the intercom about what was coming up. Saying nothing and just bombing us into the rattling darkness would have been so much worse. I have been on flights like that, unfortunately.
And all this was on two beers. Maybe I'll try three next time, but then again maybe I'd have been much worse without any. Andy sez that he was surprised I didn't ask for more alcohol in-flight (since, surprisingly for a dinky connection jet, it was offered); I got ice water instead. The thing is that even though my rational thinking takes a back seat during all this I know that we are going to land, and that I'll be all dehydrated from travel-stress when it happens. And thinking ahead like this makes me feel a little better, too.