DL Mean & Vicious guests this trip

[Princess Susi]

Wow, that is good to know Figment, thank you! Germophobe (with good reason, my immune system is shot) that I am, I will repeat this to myself like a mantra the next time I fly which is in. . .about seventy days I think? *nervous already*

I used to be such a good flyer. Then we did something called an "aborted take-off" and I stopped being a good flyer.

Now it takes squeezing the heck out of my husband's hand and lots of music on the Ipod as soon as I'm allowed to use it to get me through. But I don't drink, so I guess whatever works, works. . .

Drugs, LOTS and LOTS of good drugs....


And my immune system is shot too, 4 out of the last 5 trips to DL, I have caught some viral ickiness and been sick. I start wearing a mask in the airport and on the plane and in the Parks from now on.. I hate being sick, like I am RIGHTNOW. I still feel like CRAP!!! It has been 9 days of this misery, but I am finally feeling like there is light at the end of the tunnel, or maybe that is death calling me! ;)
Actually, my neck is not stiff anymore, my throat is raw from coughing, but that strep pain is leaving and I don't have a fever anymore. I still ache all over, but that is probably from coughing so much and my body hurts! My back hurts too. :( I am coughing like crazy and my lungs are making these weird little wheezy noises, but I have my nebulizer from the Christmas trip after I went to the doc with THAT bug! Sleep has been a salvation. I am sorry I have not posted the nasty trip details yet, I have been ill and in bed for most of the days. Up a little while and then back down.....

I was on a military charter 727 taking off from Phoenix. About two thirds down the runway the brakes came on and we slid to a stop. The pilot came on the PA and announced he'd seen an overheat condition in one engine so we were going to taxi back to the other end of the runway and try again. From the back of the plane we heard a shrill voice scream, "Not with me on here you're not!!"

I think it was our commanding general who was a terrible flyer.

On the second attempt, everyone sitting on the aisles were making rowing motions.

NO, that would have been me! Screaming like a little girl..... LOL! Ain't NO plane gonna *TRY* again to take off with me on board, after thay have had a problem with ANYTHING on said plane!!!!!!!

LOL to the rowing motions....... :D:


Susi
to be continued......

[Princess Susi]

Come on guys, no more airplane scare stories until Shorty gets back from WDW. Give the guy a break! :D:

I hate flying. I take drugs to get me through the flight. Ones that make me sleep the whole way. :D: It works. The only REALLY terrible thing to happen was Christmas 2006 on a late flight out of DIA and we had to fly to LAX. I started to feel the nasty stomach virus come on that was to ruin the rest of our Disney Christmas trip, [YES! I DO get sick EVERY trip to Disneyland, I think we have to stop gong there and start making WDW our destination! (I was in bed the whole time, an injection in the butt of anti-nausal meds at 4AM by a housecall doctor to the DL Hotel and feeling like I would rather have been dead.)]

I had made a trip to the restroom where I was violently ill and not feeling very well, made my way back to my seat. Ralph had been seated way back behind me, because we had gotten standby after our flight had been cancelled along with 2 and half DAYS of other flights during the DIA's WORST nightmare, 8 weeks of blizzards in a row every weekend!!!!! This was the 21st of December and the airport did not smell very well after how many hundreds of thousands of fliers got stranded for 2 and a half days at the airport! Ugh! NASTY conditions. After we got to the airport at 5AM for our 9AM flight which was cancelled, we finally got a flight at 6:30PM to LAX, NOT my first choice, but it was open! Well, after the virus hit about 3/4 of the way into the flight and I was upchucking and shaking and feverish, we hit CAT right outside of LAX. I have always feared turbulence more than anything and we have some here in the Rockies, no worse than driving down a gravel road in an old pickup with no shocks. I can take that.

This was no ride in a pickup! This was being slapped around by the hand of God and rolling and dropping and jumping and shaking and I was terrified and grabbed the hand of the guy next to me. He was holding on to my hand with a death grip as well. His girlfriend was by the window just laughing her ass off. She was nervous and that is how it manifested in her. I had introduced myself earlier and it was cool, because these folks were from my home turf of Sonoma County and we were all earthy, hippy types on the way to LAX. :p: That turbulence was the worst experience of my life up to that point (now it may very well be 4 out of 5 trips to DL with the Califonia Crud!), well, along with having the horrendous stomach virus at the same time, made it twice as bad.

They have grades of CAT. This was second from the worst. The pilot even said after we landed that it was pretty bad for him! GREAT!!!!!! NOW, you tell us....
I went to a very cool website, " Ask Captain Lim". I will post a link for all the flightphobic here. It is a great site and really answers questions about everything you fear about flying, except that elusive mile high club. And I ain't talking Mile High City!**snicker** ;)

I read this site after that flight and looked up CAT and needless to say NOT ONE person has died from turbulence from a plane being disabled or damaged in any way, The ONLY deaths from turbulence have come from people who do NOT have their seatbelts fastened and they fly out of their seats and hit something. Truth! So even if the CAT is the worst, the wings are tested to something like (Don't quote me on this one, it is close to the actual number!) 28 feet of pressure, it is a physical impossibility for the wings to snap off or for the plane to turn upsidedown and fall out of the sky! Or so I have been told. Just keep your seatbelt fastened and you will be fine.

And for those of you who like the Indy attraction at DL, the turbulence will probably be a fun trip! :p:

Not me. I was scared, too scared to pee or poop my pants, which was a good thing, since most of what was in my gut was making it's way out the front door anyway. Bad, Bad trip from hell!
Now, how do I keep from catching the California Crud next trip to DL? We are going in March again for a quick swoop through weekend AFTER we visit the parents. Any suggestions? I have tried Airborne, vitamins, wearing warm clothes, a flu shot one year, did not work on the particular virus I caught! What can I do? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Susi

Her is the linky to Ask Captain Lim. You can find all sorts of cool info there about flying and air turbulence and he answers fearful people's questions about flying. Check it out all you fellow flightphobes!!!!!

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/

[Ms. Matterhorn]

I've had pretty good luck with Zycam nasal swabs.

[Princess Susi]

Here is the excerpt on the air pressure on wings, it is 24 ft, I was close. Needed to make sure I corrected myself for accuracy.

AskCaptainLim.com

Under what circumstances can severe or extreme turbulence become a fatality?

Written by Capt Lim, on 12-12-2007

Published in : Weather, Air Turbulence


Dear Captain, First of all, thank you so much for your website. It has helped me a lot in dealing with my anxiousness regarding long-haul flights. As it appears, many seem to share my fear of turbulence, which is actually a comfort in itself, not to be alone with these fears. I acknowledge that most of my worries are down to a sad lack of knowledge and understanding.

I apologize if I missed a response that has dealt with my questions before, but it seems to me that only the problem of "severe" turbulences has been discussed in abundance.

1. However, just coming back from Houston last week and having experienced the delay of my flight due to the fact that the plane hit conditions that were later labeled "severe" on its way to Houston ( by Lufthansa ), I wonder what actually constitutes "extreme" conditions?

2. And under what circumstances can severe or extreme turbulences become a fatality for the plane (be it Airbus 340 or the Boeing 777)? This is actually the most important question to me.

3. Also, Lufthansa reported that these turbulence might have caused structural damage to the plane. Considering the fact that Airlines usually claim their planes can withstand all weather conditions, I find this troubling. What kind of structural damage can turbulence cause?

Thanks again for the information you provide on your site. May you travel safely always!

Sincerely, Christina

Hi Christina, 1. I am unable to extract the official definition of what is severe or extreme turbulence at the moment. All I can say unofficially is that, severe turbulence would entails some very rough ride, almost like riding on a roller coaster. Some light injuries may arise if passengers or crew are not securely fastened. Extreme turbulence would be something where, in addition to some injuries or death, some structural damage would be seen on the body surfaces.

2. Again, I cannot officially say when extreme turbulence would lead to fatality in any of the airplanes (Airbus A340 or Boeing 777) you mentioned. So far, I have not come across an incident where a modern commercial airliner has crashed due to extreme turbulence in the cruise. Yes, crashes have occurred due to wind shear, which is another weather phenomenon that give rise to turbulence near the ground level. Please read my topic on Wind shear.

3. Structural damage that can arise would be, slight buckling of body surfaces and some rivets coming loose on the panels. If you are thinking of the wings falling apart or the engines dropping off, then that would not happen. Remember, the airplanes are designed to withstand the worst of the turbulence. They are made to fly in any conditions that the planes are likely to encounter and they are very, very strong machines. During flights, the fuselage bends a little and wings do essentially "flap". During the development tests, some wings are flexed as much as 150 degrees from normal position. In a Boeing 777, that is 24 feet!

So, remember, the airframe can take far more punishment than the pilots can, and pilots can take far more punishment than the passengers. Pilots have more experience flying in turbulence than passengers and understand what it is to be inside this rough condition. So their concern is more for the passengers and would make every effort to avoid them by climbing or descending to another smoother altitude. This again, does not mean that the plane is endangered, but rather the Captain is simply trying to give his passenger a more comfortable flight. Nor is he struggling to fly or that the airplane is out of control - a popular misperception of turbulence. In fact, many flights are navigated in rough skies on autopilot. In the Boeing 777, there is even a gust suppressor to lessen the impact of turbulences and the computers in the autopilot are better equipped to anticipate the shifts in temperature and air pressures. Although the airplane might be bouncing around all over the sky, the aircraft is safe.

Hope my explanation would lesson the fear in your next flight!
END CAPTAIN LIM EXCERPT

susi :p:

[Shorty82]

I went to a very cool website, " Ask Captain Lim". I will post a link for all the flightphobic here. It is a great site and really answers questions about everything you fear about flying, except that elusive mile high club. And I ain't talking Mile High City!**snicker** ;)

http://www.askcaptainlim.com/

That site looks cool. Lots of good and interesting information there. This video on there is very funny.

[Princess Susi]

Check out the site. Maybe one of you flying buffs can find the worst CAT in the continental USA.
I think I read somewhere that the worst case of CAT in the USA was in the Rockies, and the plane dropped 1000 feet straight down. Gives a new meaning to the phrase **thrill ride**! That beats the Tower of Terror, right there!
If you can find a worse one, correct me please.

What is weird is that we have NEVER had this type of CAT out of LAX before and I have never heard that it was bad out of that airport. Does anyone know if that is common out of LAX? What is the world's worst CAT airport to fly out of and land in? I thought it WAS Denver due to the Rockies and all the thermals. We always have some turbulence, but it is usually the garden variety gravel road roughness. Nothing big. We hit a little worse coming home this last trip, NOT anywhere near severe, but the plane was shuddering and shaking and bouncing a little more than the usual trip down the gravel road, but we also had snow coming down and winds blowing it all over. I buried my head in Raffle's shoulder. He liked that! :D:

They do shut down the airport here for very high winds. Yesterday we had 70 mph gusts off the foothills on the northwestern side of Denver, but that did not affect DIA which is out on the eastern plains. I don't know how it affected those who took off yesterday westbound. Maybe they changed flight plans to avoid the wind gusts up on this end of town. We have had monstrous winds for 3 days now. I hate it here. :(

I KNOW some of you plane buffs will know what the worst airport for CAT is and what was the worst CAT incident in the USA and also what was the worst in the world?

Just a little challenge to all you airplane buffs. Lesse who can find it first? hobie, I am counting on you!!!!!! :D:

You all (all the male types) have been drooling all over the threads about planes the last couple days again. ;)

And just for you.....a little love song for all you wannabe pilots, I have been reading all your love notes to each other about airplanes here on the threads, :hysteria:

YO, HO, YO HO,
A Pilot's life for me....... :D:

heeheeheeheeheehee..... ;)
Love,
Susi

[hobie16]

Lesse who can find it first? hobie, I am counting on you!!!!!! :D:

I don't know what the "official" ones are but from personal experience, there's nothing more thrilling than flying over the North Atlantic in the dead of winter.

For consistently thrilling landings, Kahului on Maui is always interesting. Just off the end of the runway is one of the highest rated wind surfing areas in the world.

If you like to work on a solid grip and leave your fingerprints in the seat arms, the Kawloon turn into the old Hong Kong airport was the landing for you. There were a couple of time I thought the wing tip was going to hook laundry hanging on balconies.

Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

[Princess Susi]

All Right hobie, sounds like a rocking good time for those who are not afraid of CAT. I will try to find the stats as well. I always thougtht flying over the ocean was the calmest, that it is the changing terrain like going from desert to mountains and the change in the wind currents and how it flows across the varying terrain that would cause CAT. Hmmmm.

Sounds like wind shear on landing would be painful! I do NOT want to experience that. We get lots of wind shear off the mounains here, but up higher, not near the ground where the landing takes place. Probably not as dangerous higher up in the sky. I REALLY, REALLY want to move away from here.

I think the *Florida rent a house try-out*is a go for us, come Fall. We have just have to live very frugally to save the $$$ to afford two places, the mortgage on this McMansion! (Which is a LOT, you do NOT want to know how much that is, trust me!!!) and also to pay rent to someone else for a small rental house in Florida. Also hiring a property manager to maintain this place is gonna cost us, so we have to really watch it. I am NOT unhappy about that! I want, No; Need to, No; MUST get out of here. I don't mind giving up a lot for the chance to get out of here. I think Florida will be better for our health all around and we can have lots of fun there. I need to be able to go to the ocean within an hour's drive as well.

So we are looking at trying to get this all done for Fall. If we clear out the Disney museum here, LOL and show the place empty, the chances are much better of it selling. It is off the market for now. The sign is down, so I do not have to worry about my scrapbooking stuff spread out all over the place and my pins all over every table and surface in various stages of organization. Once we are out, they can show the place ANYTIME they want and even have an open house. But NOT while we live here with all our Disney collectibles, that have a tendency to leave in someone's pocket during these open houses. I am crossing my fingers, toes, legs and eyes for our chance to do this in the Fall.

Anyway, I digress....
Back to the topic: Okay guys, get me those stats, stat! LOL!

I will be uploading trip pics to Photobucket today. Then I will post a link for you to go over and browse the 1700 pictures I took this trip! HAHAHA! I will actually only upload some good ones, not ALL of em. I won't make you suffer like that. There will be a few pics you will have to request me to PM to you, some of the CMs. I will NOT post pics of them here to protect anonymity. Any long time poster here can email me to request a pic of someone. So be patient with me.

They only allow a bulk download of 100 pics at a time at Photobucket and it takes some time to load those.

I will also have stories of some SGs, rude guests and an out and out mean and vicious one that Disneymom can attest to! I took a picture of the mean beyotch to add to the SG Hall of Shame! hahahahahahaha.... :twisted:
There were also the SGs that I actually YELLED at and told off in Spanish, no less. No getting around me with *No habla ingles* BS. I can rip you a new one in your mother tongue. :twisted: HeeHeeHee!!!!!
Susana ;)

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I have flown is some small aircraft, and getting into CAT in a small aircraft is, shall we say, Interesting!!! The only saving grace is that the company pilots we have are VERY experienced in this stuff!

I really felt safe after we landed in a desert airport, and the pilot canted the wings about 30 to 40 degrees, and let the crosswind level us out for landing!!

[Princess Susi]

Let's sing it together, shall we...

YO HO, YO HO,
A Pilot's life for me......

heeheehee
sues :p: