Category: Let's talk
Hi all,
I am going flying today for the first time since I was a baby, and that's why I am writing this. Have you ever done something you never thought you would? Just to sort of try it out? I am just a little afraid of hights, and of plain crashes, so I never actually thought I would ever go flying. My friend is a cadette officer, and she has offered to take me flying in a small plain. I decided to take her up on the offer, because I really wanted the experience. I don't really know why I said yest to her so quickly, but I figured that I would give it a try. So again I ask, has anyone ever decided in a split second to try something that they never thought they would actually try? If so, what and how did you feel afterward. I will be sure to tell you all how the flying thing goes when I get back.
Hey good luck on your flight, that sounds like fun!!
Well I've been clubbing, scuba diving in a controlled indoor environment (I'd love to do it in ocean though! I'm sure it's doable), and um I think I'm gonna go drive around someplace soon. haha I wouldn't mind rock climbing or hang gliding or something like that, I just don't get many chances to do cool things.
Have fun, TS
wow sounds like you've done lots of stuff. i I've been wall climbing, that was good times, and did some downhill skeeing to. The same girl that is going to take me flying said that sometime she may let me drive her car to. She said that I could drive it on teh like 1000 feat runway heheh
wonderful have a great time! Taking off is a scream.grin
Hmm Handgliding that is the closest thing I've found to flight the feeling of racing through the air with complete freedom is incredible,id recommend it to anyone .
Off Road Driving.This is a real rush of adrenalin and I'll admit testosterone smile being in charge of a large powerful machine while total is wonderful,I cant get enough of it.
cool! I might get to go gliding sometime to, she said that she would have to see. Thanks for the good luck! What does taking off in a plain feel like? I am just curious.
I hope you do its just pure FUN! Grin
Well eh Dad told me once if its a small plane you really feel it accelerating and lifting off ..it's just a great surge of power then nothing your flying and hoping there's no turbulance.
Taking off is fun. I fly every 3rd or 4th weekend, I've travelled from here to Europe about 3 to 4 times every year, last time I was on a plane was 3 weeks ago. I still find it an accellarating experience, with the jets it's not as noticable as the little plains but the sheer power of the engines is jaw dropping. I love flying, I've flown first class which is amazing. One of the weirdest and most scary things I've done was standing 20 yeards from the starting line at a quarter mile race in Michigan. They had all these supercharged nitro burning cars starting off. The dragsters were so powerful the soundwaves almost knocked me down. Then the last thing they had was a truck with a jet engine on top and an afterburner. I've never been so scared because the air itself was blasted out of that thing at 14 to 1600 degrees and I felt like there was a fire being blown directly at me, the noise was so intense I couldn't hear myself, the smell of burning jet fuel and the extreme heat and it hadn't even "taken off" yet. Me and my friend ended up scared and ran about another 30 yards away before the thing finally let the starting line and I swear a hair or two got burnt. It was really cool. Also swimming in the ocean in strong current, river rafting, working at Microsoft (a little boring sometimes but it was really cool), seeing Radiohead live in the Hollywood Bowl theater, being with the girl I love (it's really the most accellerating experience of all), walking around New York City, snow mobiling on top of a glacier (it's like driving, I even got to drive myself, there is nothing around you for miles, just smooth ice and you can go anywhere), competing at big international competitions (sitting there with the other competitors before we're announced, in a tiny room is really nerve wrecking the tension is so obvious that I felt I could reach out my hand and touch it). :) I can think of many more but would take up so much space by writing them all out. :) Life is an exciting experience, love every second off it.
-B
Hey girly,
I tried sky diving once on a dare :P My family and I went to canada's wonderland not that long ago, and I was crazy enough to try the sky flyer. Scariest thing I've ever done in my life, lol! They asked me, and without any thought, I was all up for it. I acted like I was all happy and excited about it but inside I was so scared :P I didn't dare get on it though unless anyone else did first :P I didn't intend on doing anything like that or even getting on any of the big rides because I wasn't feeling well, but I ended up getting on the thing. It was fun though, and I'm really glad that I did. Anyway girl, have fun flying! :)
hey guys! Thanks for all of your cool posts. That's great will! Awesome to heart. I have to say, that flying was amazing! I really enjoyed it, and now I want to become a pilot! It would be great fun! I was so at ease once I relaxed, and had this wonderful sense of freedom. I'm really glad I did it!
I never thought I would go sking but I did and It's so much fun!
wohoo! way to go JP :) .. I also had the same fobia as you did when it came to planes (that they may crash, etc) and like there's nothing holding us up except motors and stuff, ya know .. but i've been interstate and NZ a few times now so I guess I'm slowly becoming a bit of a pro at it. .. but, I want to go sky diving and/or bundjy jumping. I think they will be more of the case of "wanting to try them for years, then regretting my decision in the split second before they go ahead" - if I ever go through with them. :)
Yeah, I used to feel the same way about flying but, honestly, after reading so much about the planes and having a sister who works in the maintenance purchasing department I've stopped worrying so much. I mean, the planes are checked, over and over and over again for problems and grounded if there is any sign of anything, even if there is a light in the kock pit that won't come on the planes are not allowed to leave. And once they're in the air and have reached cruising speed, evenif they lost engine power completely they can actually fly for another 3 minutes or so, even a little more, because there is so little friction up there and if the pilot is good that'd be enough to get the plain to land or get down to the ground at least, it of course will be an awful landing but it's better than just plunging, most crashes happened because the pilots made stupid mistakes, actually 90% of plane crashes are caused by human error. I would not want to fly with an air line I didn't know anything about, like China Air or airlines in AFrica because they do not live up to the safety standards, but any official U.S., European or Asian airline I'd feel very confident with. The planes are built to resist turbulance of up to 6g, the worst once generally experienced are 2g, the planes avoid the worst hit areas. Of course nothing is 100% safe but you are infinitely more safe on the plane than in a car and it's a lot more accellerating, so don't let your fear get the better of you folks, flying is a totally wonderful experience.
cheers
-B
hey B, yes, always hear that one about the car thing which I know is true, but your three minute thing you were talking about if the engine fails, well that's all well and good if there is ground below you, but what if there's nothing but ocean, then what happens? Lol
So this may be a bit off topic (all right, it definitely is a bit off topic) but in response to Wildebrew's comment that a plane can glide for about three minutes without any engine power, have any of you heard of this Air Transat flight that, in August 2001, lost all power as a result of a fuel leak? The pilot managed to glide the airplane for *twenty minutes* and subsequently made an emergency landing on the Azores in the middle of the Atlantic. The story was a major sensation in Canada for a little while until it was overshadowed, of course, by more dramatic events. The pilot was hailed as a hero, and it was claimed that these days pilots are no longer trained to glide jets, and the passangers and crew on that plane only survived because they had an old fogie for a pilot :-). In retrospect it turned out that the fuel leak should have been detected earlier, and thus the whole situation was to a large extent the supposed hero's fault :-), but the the story really impressed me.
Susanne
Sussanne, that's really cool. Yes, I seem to sorta remember this story too. There was also a similar story about a pilot that d di this in Sweeden in the 90s.
Well, there are very strict regulation on how far jets are allowed to be from land/airports. That is e.g. why planes going to Europe must fly north and over Greenland and then Iceland instead of cutting straight across the Atlantic. So, yes, even a 20-minute flight without engines may still result in you getting a rather wet landing but at least you should be sure that help can reach you pretty quick so just learn to swim, use the live rafts and you actually have a somewhat decent chance of survival. Granted if you're in the oceans around Iceland in winter you're going to freeze to death or drown, pretty much no other possibilities, but I still feel confortable flying there. If you never take any sort of risk you'll never enjoy life, if you are to try something you should defnitely do the flying thing ;) it's safe and it's fun and no hangovers or rehabs needed.
cheers
-B
hey guys, thanks for the congrats rd! I never heard of your story susanne, but my friend told me that the small plane that we were flying could turn in to a glider if the engine failed, and that she was trained to deal with that sort of situation. I was happy to hear that.
Oh, Wilde, is that why they take the longest possible way across the Atlantic? I always thought it had to do with the shape of the earth and the best trajectory or something, but I admit it never made much sense... But then I don't trust my attempts at geometry :-).
Jenn, yeah... I think it might be a bit easier to glide a two-seater than a 747 :-)
I've flown a lot in my life but I've also done some other cool things. I never thought I'd go to Space Camp, drive a tractor solo, get a guide dog, or rock climb or kayak.