Adventures in flying
Sparked by Tinne:
I was flying back to Gainesville from Ft Lauderdale years and years ago on a 12-seater turbo prop. It was a full flight, which means that we passengers were queried about our weights and seated accordingly - heavy folks in the middle, light folks on the sides. For those that don't know me, that means my bitty body had a window seat. There were storms across the state and we were flying through them (too small to fly over them). Lots of turbulence. It was very very much like a rollercoaster ride. I was starting to get a little queasy so I decided to make myself comfy and try to sleep. Twisting myself sideways, I was staring out the window when I saw sparks fly off the wing tip.
Yes, the Twilight Zone movie had been a recent release.
Now, in a 12-seater, there's no mystery to the flight process, at least at that time. The pilot was a few rows in front of me and if I sat up straight, I could see the instrument panel easy. I've also flown with private pilots in Cesnas. If something was wrong, the plane itself would howl to let the pilot know. No flashing lights or klaxons from the plane and the pilot didn't seem to be concerned. As I firmly stated to myself that there had to be a rational explanation, the wing tip was enveloped in a ball of light...
I was suspended in horror, balanced between what I was seeing out the window and what I wasn't hearing or seeing inside the cabin. My poor eyeballs were halfway out of my head from scrutinizing the scene. Suddenly, we flew through an open area in clouds (flying through a storm, remember?) and all became clear. The light from the strobe on the wing reflected off the rain, looking like sparks. The globe was the same light reflected by dense banks of cloud. I took a deep, cleansing breath and settled myself back into my seat to try to catch that nap.
Five or ten minutes later, someone else in the cabin gasped and spouted something about sparks. In my best condescending tone, I said "Please, it's just the wing light reflecting off the rain." Something tells me Hashem will be raising an eyebrow at me about my smugness some day...
I was flying back to Gainesville from Ft Lauderdale years and years ago on a 12-seater turbo prop. It was a full flight, which means that we passengers were queried about our weights and seated accordingly - heavy folks in the middle, light folks on the sides. For those that don't know me, that means my bitty body had a window seat. There were storms across the state and we were flying through them (too small to fly over them). Lots of turbulence. It was very very much like a rollercoaster ride. I was starting to get a little queasy so I decided to make myself comfy and try to sleep. Twisting myself sideways, I was staring out the window when I saw sparks fly off the wing tip.
Yes, the Twilight Zone movie had been a recent release.
Now, in a 12-seater, there's no mystery to the flight process, at least at that time. The pilot was a few rows in front of me and if I sat up straight, I could see the instrument panel easy. I've also flown with private pilots in Cesnas. If something was wrong, the plane itself would howl to let the pilot know. No flashing lights or klaxons from the plane and the pilot didn't seem to be concerned. As I firmly stated to myself that there had to be a rational explanation, the wing tip was enveloped in a ball of light...
I was suspended in horror, balanced between what I was seeing out the window and what I wasn't hearing or seeing inside the cabin. My poor eyeballs were halfway out of my head from scrutinizing the scene. Suddenly, we flew through an open area in clouds (flying through a storm, remember?) and all became clear. The light from the strobe on the wing reflected off the rain, looking like sparks. The globe was the same light reflected by dense banks of cloud. I took a deep, cleansing breath and settled myself back into my seat to try to catch that nap.
Five or ten minutes later, someone else in the cabin gasped and spouted something about sparks. In my best condescending tone, I said "Please, it's just the wing light reflecting off the rain." Something tells me Hashem will be raising an eyebrow at me about my smugness some day...