(no subject)
I was on a big passenger jet landing during a rough storm at night, with icy and wind. As we came into a landing, the pilot pulled out of it, pulled up near the last minute. We turned around for another pass, then dropped into the landing approach again. But again the pilot pulled out.
It was pretty scary. Everyone was quiet in the cabin -- you could sense the tension and quiet patience of the passengers. We were just average people sitting in our seats with our seat belts on like the lights told us to, but could feel the stress of the pilot. All we could do was trust them.
I think it was the fourth pass, when we went in for the landing, that the pilot went through with it. And people were quiet when the wheels touched down, and we heard the heavy hum and shake as the body settled over the landing gear. We ran along the runway, the landscape blurring past, pressed against our seat belts, slowed down... rolling... to a stop.
A beat and then, suddenly, astonishingly, we were applauding. It wasn't a relieved cheer or anything. We were applauding the pilot. Somehow over the course of those four or so passes, with our plane cutting through the ice and wind over the nighttime suburb lights, even the most seasoned passengers were shaken out of our confidence and it really sank in to us that all our lives were in the hands of one person who was repeatedly making judgment calls, and when it was over, our first reaction was gratitude for a job well done.
Normally we don't notice the routine decisions and efforts of people whose efforts are so vital to us, but in this case...
It was pretty scary. Everyone was quiet in the cabin -- you could sense the tension and quiet patience of the passengers. We were just average people sitting in our seats with our seat belts on like the lights told us to, but could feel the stress of the pilot. All we could do was trust them.
I think it was the fourth pass, when we went in for the landing, that the pilot went through with it. And people were quiet when the wheels touched down, and we heard the heavy hum and shake as the body settled over the landing gear. We ran along the runway, the landscape blurring past, pressed against our seat belts, slowed down... rolling... to a stop.
A beat and then, suddenly, astonishingly, we were applauding. It wasn't a relieved cheer or anything. We were applauding the pilot. Somehow over the course of those four or so passes, with our plane cutting through the ice and wind over the nighttime suburb lights, even the most seasoned passengers were shaken out of our confidence and it really sank in to us that all our lives were in the hands of one person who was repeatedly making judgment calls, and when it was over, our first reaction was gratitude for a job well done.
Normally we don't notice the routine decisions and efforts of people whose efforts are so vital to us, but in this case...