Monday 31 August 2015

The planes go over our house on busy times like this weekend, a bank holiday in England. The flight path is changed I presume for the abundance of extra excursion planes joining a holding pattern.  As they go over the house they are gradually loosing height  and banking over to the right.  In the distance, their wing lights twinkle and the sound of their engines alters, each time it puts me into the aircraft amongst the passengers.  Strapped into our seats anticipating the landing, some of us looking forward to sleeping in our own beds, meeting up once more with relatives and friends perhaps waiting for us now in the arrival hall, others sad that their holiday is over and they must return to the daily grind. At that moment cabin lights dim, a few nervous coughs join the murmur of voices, the cry of an infant wails out as air-pressure pains our ears, there is the rumble and roar and rush of air outside as the pilot throttles back, engines roaring as we hurtle along the runway.  That optimum moment when just for a split second I would think,
"We're not going to stop!"
Everything green and concrete rushing past at incredible speed, until the feeling of gravity thrusts in and the plane cruises to a gradual halt.  Cabin lights flicker up and one of the crew presses the intercom ping and a voice reminds us all, to,
 'Please remain seated until the plane comes to a stop.'
How many times have I been there in the past?
Returning to Manchester where it would invariably elicit a comment over the intercom from the pilot, his voice brighter, more free now that the danger of the landing is over, telling us the air temperature outside and almost always adding...."And it's raining!".

5 comments:

WOL said...

Rains a lot in Manchester, does it?
Your post made me think of the time in the late 1980's and 1990's when I lived under the final approach to two large hospitals with helipads - one with a state of the art pediatrics burn unit and neonatal intensive care unit, another with a state of the art cardiology department, and a level 1 trauma center. Where I live is an area of small towns and largely rural population for hundreds of miles to the west and north, with only three large cities. Helicopters airlifting patents in from the small outlying hospitals would come roaring over at all hours of the day or night. As I was a medical transcriptionist for one of the hospitals at the time (typing up the reports the doctors dictated on their patients in the hospital), there was a fair chance I would find out the particulars of a given flight. After having lived there 22 years, I moved in 2001, and that apartment building has since been bulldozed to make room for a freeway, and where I once lived is now in the deli department of a grocery store. It's amazing how evocative sounds can be.

June said...

I no longer fly because of bad bouts vertigo, but you describe it so perfectly. The anticipation of finely getting to your destination safely. I have a little granddaughter whose family flies all the time and when she was a tiny one, my daughter said that every time they would land and come to a stop, she would say loudly 'we made it' and my daughter told me that the passengers would all erupt in laughter.
I always liked the calm sound of the pilots voice upon landing too. Assuring me that I soon would be with my loved ones again.
Thank you my dear Jane, for another beautiful post.
sending love..

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

Such a perfect post Jane.
We have quite a few jets that fly high above as they circle to come into the Toronto International airport. I catch a glimpse of the reflection of the plane as the sunlight hits it sending it to the earth below. I often wonder where the passengers have come from or where they are going.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment on my blog. My friend was a beautiful soul, a magnificent quilter and I know now she is at peace...
Susan xx

helen tilston said...

How I love this post and commentary. You so accurately describe the final minutes before landing. Your image of the clouds and sky is fitting and beautiful too. I still absolute love travelling to a new city or country and despite the lack of glamour and the rude security and all who choose to be miserable whilst working at the airport, the excitement and adventure remains. We recently, for the first time, flew RyanAir and I was expecting it be horrible and we were very pleasantly surprised and received excellent service and efficiency. The flight attendant even took my carry and put it in the overhead bin.

I hope you are having a good summer and that the autumn sunshine continues

Helen xx

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Jane,
Just popping in to see how you are and to wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful 2016 ...... hope that you are well.
Lots of love to you Jane and hope to see you blogging next year. XXXX