Airplane Conversations

On my way from JFK to DFW last Thursday, the plane I was on flew over several storms so that the seat belt sign never went off once. At one point, we dropped for a good 2 seconds, and I heard a soft collective gasp sort of ripple down the aisle.

I have gone through stages with flying, from youthful fears, to a rather matter-of-fact enjoyment and peace during college, to a couple of rough flights that set the fear going again. I've found that I'm not too afraid of little bumps along the way, but unexpected falls and rises tend to get my heart going. And that doesn't help at all, considering how much and how often I have to fly nowadays.

However, I'm amazed by how just the right people have turned up next to me at the right times to alleviate my fears about flying.

"You know, when we hit turbulence, I just compare it to being in an off-road four-wheeler. Then it's not so bad."

"My husband is getting his license in instrument flying, and he told me that once you're in the air, there's virtually zero chance of anything going wrong." Well, that's fortunate, since I actually enjoy take-offs and landings, so I don't worry about those. At the same time, she took away some of my fears about cruising, the part I don't like.

On my way home from Yale after graduation, we flew over a storm, which produced a good amount of turbulence. The lady next to me was married to an army pilot. Her hand tightened around his arm. He shrugged, "Just some bumps." Then perhaps feeling that he needed to say something more, he put away his book and turned to me, "During a storm, there are these air columns that accelerate up and down. When a plane flies over them, it gets accelerated along with the air. That's why it feels like the plane is rising and falling. But don't worry, these planes are built to withstand much more than this."

And we can't forget the international flight pilot, who accommodatingly answered any and all questions I had about the mechanics of flying, while adding interesting facts of his own. Good man.