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Most nerve racking airplane flight(s)...

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    Most nerve racking airplane flight(s)...

    Following on from the thread where the Darwin candidate tried to open a door mid-flight I thought I'd ask the question what's your worst experience on a commercial flight?...

    Mine? - not too exciting I must admit - an engine failure on a flight to Australia...
    Last edited by Joe Black; 22 November 2005, 20:32.

    #2
    Originally posted by Joe Black
    Following on from the thread where the Darwin candidate tried to open a door mid-flight I thought I'd ask the question what's your worst experience on a commercial flight?...

    Mine? - not too exciting I must admit - an engine failure on a flight to Australia
    Flight back from Cambodge in a Hercky Bird in the tail end of El Nino, now, that was an experience.

    Second only to a hop out of Belize with small arms fire hitting the rotors...

    Comment


      #3
      1) About 20 years ago on approach into Kathmandu (pig at the best of time), some geezer gets a pressurised petrol stove out and starts pumping it like mad ready to start brewing up. Fortunately the crew have a little chat with him before he lights it.

      2) Approach CdG 2 in a Dash7, we had a go around at about 200 feet. Quite a dramatic one too. Mind you it was probably a good thing since I could wave at the passengers in the BA 737 taxiing across the runway.

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        #4
        A few links from my 'favorites' (don't ask!!).

        For those who've never had a bad flight (or not of a nevous disposition) you can check out your favourite airline here.

        For those who imagine their next airline meal might be their last...

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          #5
          In 1999 2 flights from Luton to Amsterdam. One flight near mid air collision with about only 200ft between aircraft - one minute I was looking at another plane a few miles away the next time I looked out the window it was about 200ft above us crossing over our path.

          Next flight coming in to land at Amsterdam anothe plane taxied onto the runway as we were about to touch down so we immediately had to go up again.

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            #6
            You were lucky.

            On a flight from Sydney to LA. We crashed onto a desert island. Luckily me and a few others survived, but I was attached by a polar bear, and all sorts of other weird things happened.

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              #7
              a few years ago landing at Kitala airport in the snow, on an icey run way which was interesting,,,,
              SA says;
              Well you looked so stylish I thought you batted for the other camp - thats like the ultimate compliment!

              I couldn't imagine you ever having a hair out of place!

              n5gooner is awarded +5 Xeno Geek Points.
              (whatever these are)

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                #8
                Not a commercial flight, about 10 years ago I was flying a Cessna 172 with a mate of mine over Florida from St Petersburgh as relatively novice PPLs when Hurricane Ivan(?) was approaching from the South blocking off our route to the Florida Keys which was quite disappointing. Instead we were flying aimlessly around videoing the fringes of the hurricane at some distance. It started to get a little choppy and we could see a huge white wall of cloud from the hurricane. Suddenly we were hit by some awesome turbulence that threw the plane around so much that we both swore loudly while trying to recover the attitude of the plane. I've still got some of it on video somewhere where the next minute there's sky then some frantic nodding and then footage of the plane footwell.

                It was very sobering as we had a small taste of the amount of energy of a hurricane - and we were a very long way from it but the peripheral downdrafts and turbulence it created was immense.

                The commercial flight back was fun with lightning, severe turbulence and passengers screaming. However, my mate and I were fairly used to the buffeting around in a small plane so we were fairly relaxed about it. Mind you, don't think I want to experience that sort of discomfort again.
                If you think my attitude stinks, you should smell my fingers.

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                  #9
                  A few years ago on a flight from Jersy to Gatwick:

                  About 10 minutes from landing, smoke started to pour out of the toilets in the back on the plane, to such an extent that there was no visibility in the back half of the plane when the plane landed.

                  The landing was rather exciting, in that I never knew a plane could stop so quickly when it hit the ground, it felt like the wheels hitting the groud and then instantly stopping.

                  Everyone jumped off, the firebrigade jumped on.

                  Now that was fun
                  Your parents ruin the first half of your life and your kids ruin the second half

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                    #10
                    screaming on a plane

                    A few weeks ago, mrs gus & I were on a flight back to Heathrow from Miami. It was a night flight, dinner had been served, most people were starting to nod off, and mrs gus was watching The Descent (for those of you not familiar, a particularly good jumpy-horror film). She'd seen it before of course, but that didnt stop her from screaming out loud at the first big scare.
                    cue lots of very nervous other passengers....

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