The Flight

I'm typing this blog from some altitude above the clouds. You know, like where God lives.

It took a little longer to get to this height than I had expected. When we first boarded, got seated, buckled, and situated I looked up to see our pilot facing us from the front of the plane. Being my first time on a plane I thought she was just going to say good morning to us. Other passengers seemed to know she shouldn't be talking to us, she should be in the cockpit getting ready to fly this beast.  With a smile, she told us that upon inspection it was discovered that the nose cone was missing a chunk of paint.  She continued to explain that it was in an area where the radar is located and she didn't know if there was damage. She was still smiling and I started to think she was getting prepared to tell us we were going to give this flight a shot... as-is. Instead, she asked us to get off the plane and wait for a mechanic to arrive. A delay. No surprises there.

When we re-boarded I realized we were getting back on the same damaged plane.  Does this need to be my first flight?

I feel like one of the only adult Americans that haven't been on a plane. All of my expectations of this trip were created by television and movies. Most movies that feature flight don't show a relaxed ride above the clouds, so sitting next to the window with a view of the wing, I wondered if it's supposed to vibrate like that. I'm serious people! I sat, still buckled, looking out of a tiny plastic window as the wing vibrated in the wind. Heck, it's vibrating as I type this.

Taking off was as I had anticipated. We drove down to the end of the runway and turned to face a long stretch of pavement. The engines revved up and the force of the speed had me sitting back in seat. I felt the bumps of the pavement as we sped down the stretch and then the nose lifted up a bit. A few seconds later the heavy back end left the ground with a noticeable lift. Everything was smooth as we found our way above the clouds.

Did I tell you how many plane crash stories I read back in the terminal? Three.  All in the news the morning of my flight. But I didn't worry about that. This plane, with vibratey wings, was smooth sailing.  The cockpit was loud, but smooth, like driving on a newly paved interstate.

And then we came to a construction zone. The plane pitched and bumped and the seat belt light came back on. Lucky for me I had never unbuckled. I looked at Cari but didn't say anything. She knew by my eyes what I was telling her.  This ride shouldn't be bumpy.  She smiled and said it was normal.  The pilot came on the radio and announced the obvious. We were in some light turbulence and it exsisted at all altitudes.

At the end of the day I was really excited about flying. It's a really unique experience. The power that you can feel in the plane during take off is amazing.

But at the end of the weekend, after having made four flights and having two delays, I'm starting to understand the stereotypes frequent flyers attach to the experience.

I'm finishing this blog on my flight home wondering if it will be another 30 years before I return to this place above the clouds.  I hope not.