I have a lot to say about the world around me and I've been advised by friends and relatives to get a soap box, find a nice park and start talking. I'm not sure if they're trying to get rid of me or just allowing me the opportunity to share my thoughts with others. When someone suggested I try blogging, I thought it appropriate and here I am.
My first blog is going to be a discussion of air travel as we know it. In recent weeks there's been too many plane crashes and emergency landing situations. Having been on aircraft that had issues I can honestly say this is maybe not the best way to travel although anyone who knows me knows I'd rather live in Hawaii than anywhere else in the world and the quickest way to get there from the east coast is to fly.
I was once told by a pilot that if you're boarding a plane and look at the door frame of the main door, you'll see the date the plane was made. It's no wonder I had trouble getting on one a few years ago that had a date of 1966. This thing is 40 years old. I'm sure it's been repaired beyond recognition and I'd be willing to bet my next trip to Hawaii that many a bolt and screw has been rescrewed in place. I put my hands against the opening and stated that I wasn't getting on because the plane has been around forever. I was told by a nasty flight attendant (why oh why can't I just call them 'stewardesses or stewards?') to either get on or get off but move out of the way so that others could board. I asked her why she got on the plane when it's as old as it was. She said it was her job and she loved to fly. I was forced by my husband, who was one of the people who wanted to board, to get on the "damn plane and sit down." Alas, I did though I freaked out all the way to my lovely seat in the cattle car section of the plane and didn't stop for several hours.
However, my tirade was not for naught. After sitting on the runway in New York for an hour, we were informed that there was a problem with one of the eight fuselage on the plane and that once they fixed it, we'd be on our way. FIX IT??? WHILE I'M SITTING IN THE PLANE? Doesn't it need to be flown around, passenger free, for several days to be sure it won't blow up or something? About 2 hours later, they informed us that they couldn't fix it, but not to worry. You only need four to fly and three additional ones were still operating. However, bad news, we had to stop in Atlanta on the way to West Palm Beach. It was the airline's hub and they could fix it there before sending us on our way to WPB. Again, don't worry folks, we'll be fine.
YOU may be fine, but I still have issues thankyouverymuch. I stood up and was fully prepared to disembark. We were all hot and cranky at this point and I was done playing the game. I was informed by Nasty, the STEWARDESS I first had the pleasure of meeting that I was to sit down because everyone else wanted to take off. Okay Nasty, that's why there's another 20 people standing up who also would like to leave. It is against FAA regulations to get up when the plane door is locked and you're going to take off. I know that, but if I stand, you can't take off and I'll be thrown off the plane. My husband told me to sit down and not worry about it. My head told me to get my butt off the repaired metal contraption as quickly as I could.
Years later I wonder why I didn't stay over in Atlanta until I calmed down, but instead waited another 4 hours in the middle of the night for them to fix my plane and get me to West Palm Beach. I shouldn't have flown and even though I was fine and so were the hundreds of others who took that flight with me it makes you wonder why the FAA prohibits you from standing up before takeoff but will fly aircraft that isn't fit to fly.
If I start walking now, I might make Hawaii by 2030. Forget the aircraft, I think the swim might do me in.