Flight nightmare stories on the way to Port

[Drumbum1977]

After reading about the Princess commercial, I saw a trend starting about flight nightmares. What's everyone's bad experiance with that? I recall a flight on Air Canada and I was seated at the window next to the emergency exit, where I nice cold draft was coming in. I told the flight attendent and she said a little draft was normal. Well this was alot of draft and I was scared that the door would blow open for the 2 hours I was next to it. The higher we got, the colder the air got.......this was NOT normal in my openion. I couldn't wait to get off that plane.

[sblahars]

Just curious. Do you get scared and upset if you see the wing moving/shaking/vibrating up and down while in flight?

[JGR01]

It depends on the aircraft type .. but most doors (pax doors and emergency exit doors) are what is called 'plug' type. Thats to say .. the door itself (the side where you are sitting) is LARGER than the opening that it overs. It is flush on the outside then gets larger with seals/metal towards the inside.

 

Plug doors rely on the air pressure difference. At the gate there is no pressure difference .. insude air and outside air are at the same pressure. Upon closing the doors the cabin air pressure is increased (changed) to a higher value than outside. While the plane takes off and gets to cruising altitude .. the pressure inside the plane is always greater than outside the plane. I think at 40,000 feet cruising altitude the plane is pressurized to 12,000 feet pressure.

 

As such, the plug emergency exit door is FORCED against the frame while inflight and would be almost impossible to remove (you have to pull IN to get it removed and the inside pressure is higher).

 

Some planes (767s) have pax doors that roll up into the ceiling. Other planes (747 and 777 for example) have doors that 'swing' outwards and move forward. In all cases the plug concept is in place, just slightly different stowing/opening concepts. For the doors that swing .. have you ever noticed that they hinge is on the 'forward' side of the plane .. so the door would have to open against the movement of air should the plane be in flight?? This (and the plug) concepts essecitially insure that doors can only be opened on the ground once the pressurization is equalized.

 

Now, to address the 'cold draft' question. All doors have seals all the way around them .. typically on the door itself not on the body wall of the plane. Unfortunately sometimes these seals over time deterioriate or do not work 100%. But then consider to dynamics of the temperature difference etc. The plane is moving throught the air at 500mph (example) and at cruising altitude the outside air is -50F (or colder). ANY time wind and cold mix .. there will be a transmission of cold feeling into the warmer environment of the plane. Personally I always put a blankey on my knee that is next to an exit .. and that resolves the problem!

 

NOW when Concorde was still flying, she had the opposite problem. Being supersonic the skin of the plane was heated by the friction caused by the sheer speed. The doors on Concorde were the same similar plug door types .. and sealed similarly. However the friction caused the 'draft' to be warm/hot near the doors.... the cabin walls were a bit warm also vs icy cold like other planes are.

 

The ONLY case I am aware of where a cabin door has caused a problem is in MIA where an AA flight had a pressurization problem .. and when the pax door was opened .. the inside pressure was still at flight level which was higher than ground pressure. Yes .. the FA openinf the door was 'sucked out' and thrown to the ground by the standing aircraft (yes and killed). But this was caused by errors in the checklist and mechanical problems with the pressurization system of the plane (now corrected to not allow doors to be opened with a pressure differential).

 

Does this help your fears?? Window exits even though cold and drafty at times will NOT magically open in flight.

 

Now the wings bending and the funny torrent of fog over the wing of 777s on takeoff . those are other stories!

[Drumbum1977]

JGR01.....thanks for the great info....sounds like you have some expericance in the airplane world?

I will not be so nervous sitting next to the door next time....although I still don't like to fly all that much. (take off's are the worst!)

[BroncosCruiser]

I think at 40,000 feet cruising altitude the plane is pressurized to 12,000 feet pressure.

 

I think the limit is pressure equal to 8,000 ft. (The lower the altitude the greater the pressure.)

[cezovski]

My husband used to be a pilot in the service and it's lots of fun to be on a plane with him. He will see something or hear a noise and says something like, "that could be the so-and-so, I hope they know about it or the wing could fall off." Then he will tell the pilot about it on the way off the plane! Geez! I think I'd rather not know some things!

[Pam in CA]

I've flown a lot and had only two known in-flight issues. Once was many, many years ago on a flight from Boston to JFK on the Eastern Shuttle. We were coming in to land at JFK and were probably only about 20' off the ground (I had a window seat and could see the ground) when suddenly, we took back off straight into the air. Within 3 - 5 seconds we were way above the terminals. Nothing was ever said but I'm assuming there was another plane on the runway or one about to enter. I was too young and dumb to think anything other than, "Wheee!"

 

A couple of years ago on a USAir flight from Boston to Dulles (DCA), I heard a clicking or metal slapping noise outside that seemed to come from the wing. It was a rainy and stormy night and when we approached DCA, we went into a holding pattern. After about 15 minutes, the pilot came on to say we were diverting to Baltimore/Washington. After landing, we had to wait over 1/2 hour for a gate. Once we pulled into the gate, they finally told us that something was loose on the wing and that they were calling the mechanics to come and check it out. 2 hours later, after literally taping the piece back on, (it was called a non-critical part), we finally took off again and flew to DCA at very low altitude and finally landed about 3 hours late.

[Drumbum1977]

Good ol' duct tape....will hold anything together!

[jetskier]

While it wasnt going to a cruise, (Las Vegas) we had departed DFW. After about 10 minutes, the pilot came on and said that we were returning to DFW because of a loss of hydraulic pressure. Once we were almost at the airport, he came back on to say that we had lost the hydraulic pump and not to worry about the fire trucks lining the runway. It is only a safety precaution.

 

We landed but it took almost all of the runway. The pilot had gotten so hard on the brakes that they had to spray them down to cool them off. Then we had to wait for a tractor to hook up and tow us off the runway. Two hour wait for a opening on the concourse. Three hour wait for another aircraft.

 

Dave

[wrp96]

Once we were almost at the airport, he came back on to say that we had lost the hydraulic pump and not to worry about the fire trucks lining the runway. It is only a safety precaution.

 

 

:eek:

[jetskier]

:eek:

 

We were thinking the same thing,,"yeah right".

Dave

[wrp96]

My only advice is if every other flight out of your airport is cancelled because a volcano erupted, it is generally not a good idea to get on your flight even if it isn't cancelled. We knew we were we in trouble when the flight attendants called for a moment of prayer before we took off. We all prayed to get us to Seattle safely, which we did but no farther.

[MaryPoppinz]

The only time I've ever experienced a rough situation in flight (outside of a minor passenger emergency, which can be summarized by saying "Please don't manage your fear of flying by drinking all day long before your flight") was when there was tremendous turbulence, and a *lot* of people got really ill.

 

We were confined to our seats, of course, and it was pretty difficult to try to give the sick passengers a little personal space and a minimal amount of dignity while they used a motion sickness bag.

[Drumbum1977]

There is no way I would have sat on that plane if I had to prey BEFORE we left.

[Dreamer333]

Speaking of scary plane situations...

 

I'm sure most of you heard about the plane that slid off the runway yesterday (here in Chicago) and went into traffic... A 6-year old boy died... So I just want to say that my prayers and heart are with his family during this tragic time. :(

[jetskier]

After a particularly rough landing, the pilot got on the intercom and announced that it was not the airlines fault for the rough landing. He went on to say that it was not the pilots fault either. It was the asphalt.

 

Dave

[Crowsie]

In the late 70's I was on a school sponsored trip to Russia.

 

We boarded an Aeroflot jet in Moscow for a quick hop up to Leningrad.

 

I was in the window seat over the wing.

 

Shortly before takeoff a mechanic hopped up on the wing, and with wrench in hand, began tightening bolts.

 

Thought I was going to have a heart attack as Aeroflot back then was not..ahem..known for their safety record.

[FlyingRev]

There is no way I would have sat on that plane if I had to prey BEFORE we left.

 

 

 

I always pray before I fly.....or eat....and for that matter, before a lot of things. :)

[wrp96]

In the late 70's I was on a school sponsored trip to Russia.

 

We boarded an Aeroflot jet in Moscow for a quick hop up to Leningrad.

 

I was in the window seat over the wing.

 

Shortly before takeoff a mechanic hopped up on the wing, and with wrench in hand, began tightening bolts.

 

Thought I was going to have a heart attack as Aeroflot back then was not..ahem..known for their safety record.

 

There's a reason my family refers to it as AeroFlop.

[wrp96]

I always pray before I fly.....or eat....and for that matter, before a lot of things. :)

 

Me too.

 

I didn't have a choice whether to stay on that plane or not, I was only 11. But I had no fear of flying so probably would've stayed even if I had been an adult.

[Globaliser]

Just curious. Do you get scared and upset if you see the wing moving/shaking/vibrating up and down while in flight?

In certification testing, the manufacturer has to test a pair of wings to destruction. Literally: They have to be bent so far that they break. The load at which this happens is carefully measured to ensure that it's far beyond what any aircraft can expect to encounter in service.

 

Much more dramatic, though, are the photos that are taken during this testing. Sometimes, it seems as if the wingtips have been bent up and in so far that they're almost touching each other - and the wing hasn't even broken yet at that stage.

 

So when you see the wings flapping up and down a bit, just think of how much more the weather has to throw at them before they're even going to start to feel uncomfortable.

Once was many, many years ago on a flight from Boston to JFK on the Eastern Shuttle. We were coming in to land at JFK and were probably only about 20' off the ground (I had a window seat and could see the ground) when suddenly, we took back off straight into the air. Within 3 - 5 seconds we were way above the terminals. Nothing was ever said but I'm assuming there was another plane on the runway or one about to enter. I was too young and dumb to think anything other than, "Wheee!"

And, realistically, there's nothing much more to think about this than "Wheee!". Having to go around for some reason doesn't usually happen a lot to any individual passenger unless they're a frequent flyer, but they happen all the time in the course of airline operations. Every busy airport will have these on pretty much a daily basis. I know that London Heathrow plans for about a dozen such go-arounds every day, although if all goes well they don't get nearly that many.

[kryos]

I always pray before I fly.....or eat....and for that matter, before a lot of things. :)

Same here. I guess it's wonderful how air travel has become so accessible ... so that even young children are often veterans of many flights before having even begun the first grade. But the bad thing about that is we have gotten to the point where we take air travel for granted ... we never think of the possible dangers and the fact that no matter how unlikely, something can go wrong.

 

That's why I pray before every flight ... during the flight and a prayer of thanks after a safe landing. Believe me, it's not a fear of flying ... heck I used to be a skydiver at one time. But even then ... before every jump ... as we climbed to altitude for our "drop off," I always asked the good Lord to see me safely back to the ground.

 

Ain't anything wrong with praying. In fact, in my opinion, I think it keeps us centered on the reality of the fragility of our existence.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[wrp96]

Same here. I guess it's wonderful how air travel has become so accessible ... so that even young children are often veterans of many flights before having even begun the first grade. But the bad thing about that is we have gotten to the point where we take air travel for granted ... we never think of the possible dangers and the fact that no matter how unlikely, something can go wrong.

 

That's why I pray before every flight ... during the flight and a prayer of thanks after a safe landing. Believe me, it's not a fear of flying ... heck I used to be a skydiver at one time. But even then ... before every jump ... as we climbed to altitude for our "drop off," I always asked the good Lord to see me safely back to the ground.

 

Ain't anything wrong with praying. In fact, in my opinion, I think it keeps us centered on the reality of the fragility of our existence.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Hey, I grew up in Alaska and took my first flight at day 17. Flying was the only choice to get anywhere. Now that I live in the lower 48, I drive a lot more instead of flying. But no matter what, before I start any trip, it starts with a prayer.

[jennew]

add me to the Praying Passengers list. I always say a prayer as we take off and as we land.

 

Flying in Honduras was a bit of an experience. They use small planes that look like old milk trucks. They are really laid back about the whole thing and it can be a bit frightening. Last year they had an airplane crash with their president on board. He is fine, but I laughed when I realized it was one of the same flights I had taken.

[holidayathesea]

Praying Passenger here. :)