Turbulence!

by Grace on October 4, 2009

Hi, I feel I’ve come back from the dead. Pristine and I left sunny and fair weathered Dubai last Thursday night and expected out flight to be smooth and uneventful. I was worried about the food (I didn’t want to be too bloated on day 1 of the trip) but it turned out that is was the least of my worries.

Dubai-Singapore flight was ok for the first 2-3 hours but when the plane was above the Indian Ocean? Lightning struck in the frequency of about 5 times per minute, nearly missing the wing section. The whole plane shook a little but it was ok.

Singapore-Japan flight was a nightmare.

The double decker plane Airbus380 that we were on met a storm head-on. Meals weren’t served until the plane stabilized, we were prevented from going to the washroom so many times. When the plane was approaching Narita airport, plane shook very badly, suddenly dropped to several meters at once causing a little chaos for everyone on board. It was shaky and so bumpy for two whole hours!!

During one of the several sudden descends and tilts, the pilot asked that we would make our seats upright, put on our shoes (what the hell!?) and prepare for a rough landing (shit!). But he added that we should be alright considering the size of the plane (I wasn’t convinced and just prayed).

I realized something during that flight. When on the verge of death, people are so calm and quiet. Nobody said a word and just bowed down their heads. No panic, chaos or commotion. We were just all listening to the engine and bearing all the shaking.

I’ve been on a plane for more than 50 times but this was the first time I thought it’d go down. No joke.

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The year that was 2009
December 31, 2009 at 3:04 pm

{ 21 comments }

1 Robin October 4, 2009 at 7:37 pm

How frightening that must have been. I’m glad you made it there safe and sound! Now try to relax and enjoy your trip.
Robin´s last blog ..Low tide My ComLuv Profile

2 Krista October 4, 2009 at 9:10 pm

Oh my goodness, that’s so scary! I’m glad you’re okay!
So, note to self: don’t fly during typhoon season? :)
Krista´s last blog ..13 Weeks My ComLuv Profile

3 TheAngelForever October 4, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Grace, I am so glad that all of you are safe and on the ground. On our plane ride home from Disney World in May we hit horrible turbulence as well. It seems like more and more people are encountering this where it really jolts the plane around. I hope you are able to relax some now and enjoy.
TheAngelForever´s last blog ..Name that virus My ComLuv Profile

4 Charlotte (Life's a Charm) October 4, 2009 at 9:30 pm

well you are all safe but what an experience! and it’s good that even with your scare, YOU didn’t start the panic, chaos or commotion ;)

5 JuliaA October 4, 2009 at 10:13 pm

that sounds intense! i’ve never had a flight like that.

glad you’re okay.

6 Janmary, N Ireland October 4, 2009 at 11:04 pm

Oh no – so glad you were ok.

I know for one my eldest daughter would have been screaming and panicking – on a smooth flight to Paris, of just over 1 hour, she was panic stricken for the entire flight.
Janmary, N Ireland´s last blog ..More lessons, and the start of a dining room makeover My ComLuv Profile

7 CandyQ October 5, 2009 at 1:09 am

Thank God you made it to Japan safely. I know how scary it must’ve been especially since you had Pristine with you.

Turbulence during flights never used to bother me until 3 years ago when the domestic flight headed to my province experienced some extreme turbulence and the oxygen masks came tumbling down. The plane had to turn back to Manila, flying at a very low altitude that I was terrified that we’d crash into a mountain, because something went wrong with it after the drop. Since then, I’ve become really jittery every time I get on a plane. :-(
CandyQ´s last blog ..of heroes My ComLuv Profile

8 Adventurous Wench travel store October 5, 2009 at 2:43 am

I’m relieved to hear that you’re okay. I saw in the news that there were two typhoons that came to SE Asia region one after the other.

Pics from the Boston Globe were horrific (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/typhoon_ketsana_ondoy.html) I pray for all the victims and their families.

9 ErikaJean October 5, 2009 at 2:43 am

WHOA! That is frightening!!!

P.S. I like your new look!
ErikaJean´s last blog ..Postcrossing Sunday My ComLuv Profile

10 Stacie October 5, 2009 at 4:27 am

Wow that must have been so scary!! I hate turbulence on planes and feel like I am having an anxiety attack whenever we hit bumps. I was on a flight last week and it was so bumpy and we kept circling the airport before we could land. I thought we were never going to land. Glad that you were ok though!
Stacie´s last blog ..Halloween Giveaway at Whimsy Couture My ComLuv Profile

11 Jacki October 5, 2009 at 5:27 am

Oh man, that would have made me a little concerned! And I would have freaked out about the lighting! I am glad you made it safe, though.

When we came back from Denmark we hit some bad turbulence, and while everyone else was white-knuckled, Emma was laughing and when it was over she asked “can we do that again??”
Jacki´s last blog ..Yep, I’m still here. My ComLuv Profile

12 Peggy Gorman October 5, 2009 at 6:15 am

Oh my goodness,You must have beed so scared! I know I would have . Thank God you landed safe
Peggy Gorman´s last blog ..Winners of Many hands can help and a Coupons Giveaway My ComLuv Profile

13 rose October 5, 2009 at 11:42 am

oh no…. how frightening…. how is P? how did she react? im thinking it would be a pain riding on the plane again…
rose´s last blog ..binary 11 or 01…it’s like magic! My ComLuv Profile

14 Lorie Shewbridge October 6, 2009 at 7:14 pm

Oh, you poor thing… How did Pristine handle it? I hope she was OK… So glad you have landed safely and are now able to enjoy your homeland and your family. Have fun, take lots of pictures and forget about the trip over and do not worry about the trip home, I’m sure all will be fine.
{{{ HUGS }}}
Lorie Shewbridge´s last blog ..Monochromatic Monday – October 5, 2009 My ComLuv Profile

15 Print Brochures October 7, 2009 at 3:55 am

Woah! That was really scary. I can imagine what happened and I’m glad tha you guys are okay. Thank you for taking time to share you experiences here. I really enjoy reading your posts.

16 Kaleido October 7, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Whoa, definitely scary! Thank God you’re all safe now. Hope your trip back would be less traumatizing.
Kaleido´s last blog ..Nessun Dorma My ComLuv Profile

17 Desert Songbird October 8, 2009 at 10:33 pm

Turbulence is the what makes me dread flying now. I can’t stand it. I’m a nervous wreck during takeoff and landing, and whenever the plane hits a pocket of bad turbulence and it takes a big drop, I break out in a sweat. Whenever we fly, it’s always about a four hour trip, and the entire time I’m nervous. I hate it. I hope your trip back is much, much smoother.
Desert Songbird´s last blog ..I Need to Fire my Scheduling Secretary My ComLuv Profile

18 Anuan October 10, 2009 at 4:39 pm

OMG, that must have been horrific. We had a turbulent flight coming to Japan during the summer as well, I was so happy when we landed. I’ve had the expereince of the plane just dropping out of the sky so I know what thats like, but unforunately I was the flight attendant at the time. Unlike the Asians who sit quietly during turbulence, the Caribbean people will scream and pull out their life vests!
Glad to know you are safe. Enjoy the rest of your stay.
Anuan´s last blog ..Business As Usual My ComLuv Profile

19 Melany October 11, 2009 at 4:38 pm

Oh my goodness. That is so scary!!! So glad you guys are ok!
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20 Sarah October 17, 2009 at 1:33 am

thats sounds so scary!!! glad you are both ok :D
Sarah´s last blog ..Saturday night styles! My ComLuv Profile

21 Sarah October 17, 2009 at 1:33 am

oops i seem to have the written the exact same things as the last person :D LOL

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