THE SKIES MAY STILL BE FRIENDLY
(…but with some landings…not so much)

The recent crash of an airliner while attempting to land at San Francisco’s airport amazingly only resulted in three tragic fatalities, one of which even more tragic because apparently it was caused by an emergency vehicle rushing to the scene, not the crash itself. Even so, the number of seriously injured, some critically and still in hospital, is a heavy toll for such an incident.

Even with all the technological advances made for it, the inherent vagaries of risk in modern-day air travel remain. The skies may still be friendly…but with some landings…not so much, and this particular incident is a very strange one indeed because it happened on a perfectly clear, sunny, nearly windless day. There was no apparent reason for it to have happened, but it did.

The NTSB will no doubt conduct its usual detailed forensic investigation into the causes for it, but such things take time, so it will be a long wait before we get any definitive answers. Statistically, of course, such incidents are quite rate (though that fact may be of little comfort to the victims of it), but those of us who’ve been around for some time, and, who have flown in a wide variety of both military and civilian aircraft under a very broad range of conditions, will no doubt recall a number of white-knuckle experiences and near misses of our own. Technology may be the king of flight these days, but pilot hands-on expertise and skills are still the keys for avoiding deadly incidents, just as in former times, perhaps even more so today.

One of the wildest examples that come to mind about how such pilot skills made the difference between success and disaster was during a long ago Eastern Airlines flight from Washington to Miami, aboard a Lockheed Electra airliner, one of those grandly majestic ones in its day. With no negative weather forecasts en route it was thought it would be a comfortable and uneventful flight. Thus the nearly full complement of passengers aboard sat back and luxuriated in the services provided by a bevy of charming hostesses ( of the coffee-tea-or-me variety).

Somewhere near Winnsboro, SC, however, and with almost no warning, our flight found itself heading straight into one of those massive summer storm cells which it could neither avoid, nor detour around. Our airline was quickly engulfed by it and being tossed about like a cork in wild river rapids, not just violently up and down, but with extreme lurches tilting almost ninety degrees from side to side. All of that accompanied by loud thunderclaps, crackling lightning flashes all around, and terrible vibrations which suggested the plane was about to come apart. Adding to the din was the sound of volleys of hail stones striking the body of the plane’s surfaces.

Needless to say almost everyone aboard was either hovering over and filling a barf bag, or, pressed back into their seats in silent petrified eye-glazed terror, while trying to dodge a few flying objects passengers had been unable to secure before the violent turbulence hit.

Despite all that, the incredible skill of our pilots somehow managed to maintain some semblance of control over our craft. Suddenly, spotting an opportunity during a brief lull in that turbulence, they plunged our airliner into a steep nose dive to finally level off under that storm cell into a calmer atmospheric layer, and head for an emergency landing at Winnsboro., where they made a near perfect touch down through a windy rain squall, and brought it to a gentle stop at a gateway. The speed and daring of how they had made that unconventional maneuver with such a large aircraft was truly amazing.

For what seemed the longest time there was absolute silence in the cabin, as everyone sat in shocked disbelief at the suddenness of our safe release from that airborne hell. But the moment the equally shaken hostesses began cruising the aisle to make sure everyone was okay, a babble of voices began, soon turning into loud cheers and applause as the pilots emerged from the flight deck.

With a sheepish grin, the captain waved at us all, then picked up the PA microphone, informing us that everyone had to leave the plane, that there would be a 45 minute delay while it was cleaned up and checked out before continuing to Miami. For those who preferred to use other transportation, they would be taken care of by Eastern, and, for those who still had the stomach for it, there would be drinks and light refreshments while we waited in the terminal to re-board for our flight to Miami. There was another round of cheers, and laughter, then everyone followed the flight crew to our sequestered area in the terminal.

Not quite an hour later, the announcement came for us to return to our airliner. One of the first to follow behind the cabin crew, I was greeted at the entry way by the head hostess who, with an impish grin said – so, you’re one of the brave ones going on with us. Pointing to the pilots who were entering the flight deck I responded with – Not brave, just confident that with such pilots I’ll take my chances with them anytime…in anything that flies. My response drew a few appreciative waves from the pilots, as I headed for the nearest seat.

As it turned out, the plane was almost empty, with only about a third of the original passengers returning. The remainder of the flight was uneventful, and since there were so few passengers left on board, the cabin crew had little to do. So my bonus reward was being able to spend the entire time schmoozing with the head hostess, an auburn haired, green-eyed, thirty-something beauty; which, by the time we landed in Miami, led to my having a much more enjoyable time there than would have otherwise been the case (being old-school…gentlemen don’t kiss and tell…so there will be no details forthcoming about that).

Well, since that time, I’ve had other even wilder episodes in both military and civilian aircraft, some of which came very near to being…terminal…leaving me somewhat fatalistic about such things. While today’s air travel is even less riskier than at any time before, and despite all the marvels of technology that exist with it today, when it comes to risks in air travel, it still comes down to the sheer quality of the pilots up there on those flight decks.

Meanwhile, the old saying of…y’a pays y’r nickels and y’takes y’r chances…still applies.

CENTURION