GO! Have a Happy Landing?
May 12th, 2008 by mike
I’m reading James Meek’s book We Are Now Beginning Our Descent to prepare for an interview I’m doing with him shortly.
So you are in a plane, over the intercom you hear …
” We are now beginning our descent.”
How do you feel? Are you scared of flying or is the landing the exciting part?
Or the other meaning in the book ….
You are descending into a nervous breakdown. How do you get out of the nose dive? How do you survive? What have your experiences been and do you think admiting to a breakdown still has the stigma attached to it that it once did?
In terms of flying - I love the descent, its definitely the best part
In terms of a nervous breakdown - I think the problem here is that if you are the one having a breakdown, you don’t actually recognise it. So it’s not so much a case of people not speaking up because of the stigma attached but because they don’t know they are about to breakdown.
That said, if I did realise that I’m close to a breakdown, I would try my best to speak up, stigma or no stigma, you need help.
I have never fly before I have no idea what it’s like but I do wish I can fly sometime in the future just to have the experience. I don’t wish to be labelled as the person who has never fly before..
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I quite honestly do not like to fly — landing causing more stress than takeoff. You know the feeling after you’ve taken off your skates and you’re now walking instead of rolling? That’s the feeling I get when I’m landing.
As far as descending into a breakdown and how I cope? I do the best I can. I will look just fine to strangers and the outside world, but inside I’m being torn apart…..
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The descent is normally the annoying time when you have to put your seat back up, take your earphones off and listen to kids screaming as the pressure changes hurt their ears. Clearly, to me, the best part of flying is when the trolly dollies bring the booze round.
After well over 1000 flights I still get mildly confused by the pointless captain announcement - ‘Today its Catain Rip Hymen flying with first officer Dig Herout as my copilot, we’ll be cruising at an altitude of the 36000 feet and will arrive blah blah blah’
Cheers bud, I was just getting to sleep and had zero interest. Do your job mate and get us there, its all I need to know.
I do like the way flying turns random people into nutters though. I’ve seen old people, young people, big people, little people, men, women turn from rational, quiet polite citizens into aggressive nutters simply through entering an airport. Always raises a chuckle, even more so when it dawns on them that the airline staff hold all the cards and it would have been better simply to do what they asked - could have been on the plane that just left then couldn’t you?
Currently sat in Kuala Lumpur Airport - one of the nicest and politest in the world, only to be expected in Malaysia - you can’t go wrong here.
I have a theory that the seatbelt light that the pilot switches on and off when the plane hits turblence is utter rubbish. It means nothing other than - I can control you cattle in the back - seat belt on - seat belt off - seat belt on - seat belt off etc etc at the pilots amusement.
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Or maybe it’s their way of giving us a piece of security no matter how false it may be.
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Looking forward to little GIC’s being the cause of the screaming - attitudes will change!
I would have thought that much of your flying will be Business Class - i’ve never seen many little terrorists in there. No probs with landing for me but i do get bugged when the cart tart takes your headphones 10 mins from the end of the film.
Descent into nervous breakdown - give yourself a slap and pull yourself together. DO NOT call a life coach
Well we can’t all be Alan Whicker’s now can we? I’ve been very lucky to be able to afford a couple of holidays abroad (before kids obviously) and although i’m terrified of heights (can’t stand on a chair for more than a few minutes), I loved the flying - the roar of the engines and the skyward tilt - “off into the deep blue yonder”.
The landing - well thrilling still but does hurt the old ears a bit - best to suck on that sweet that was offered.
Feel sorry for the kids - the younger ones can’t understand what’s happening - no peter and jane books about flying!
Can’t help but remember Airplane - the movie - So funny.
Good manners and politeness are recognised the world over as ‘I will help this person’ whereas loud bores are recognised the world over as ‘gits’. I’d point it out to them but i’m on holiday so i just smile and wink knowingly at the poor staff member and get a smile back.
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I hate the landing,it’s the worst part,i always get into my head that the planes going too fast to land!! As for nervous breakdowns,i’d like one like Gazza’s.
You are afraid that it will crash? Hm..What about when the plane take off? Are you afraid that they might be too slow and fall back?
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Yeah,strange i know but i find take off quite exhilarating and always nervous when landing.
Hi Mike,
Jim here and congrats on the James Meek interview - The View From here is really going to the next level….
Flying :The smaller the plane the more sensitive the flight for us!
My Dad was terrified of flyig after crash landing in France when he was a lad but got over his fear and a dew years back took to the skies again….this meant he headed over to Dubai with Mum to meet us last year….
He didn’t get too Douless Barder on the plane either.
Leggless.
Soory - Damned those detox toxins.
Excuse spelling - it was mid-fast!
being an advid traveller I have never ever set foot on a plane…
seen the kids of on them but never even seen inside one…..
sorry.. hmmm.
as far as the rest when you are having a breakdown you do know it…. or at least you know something is wrong, but generally by the time you do notice and it is too late and dont really care anymore.. and then it just a nose dive…
not nice at all….
In relation to flying I never gave the descent much of a thought…just part of the process of flight. But as for a nervous breakdown….been there done that…it changed my life for the better. There will always be stigmas attached to such things, but for me it was more of a life changing event and one that allowed me to really reclaim my life…..had to breakdown before I could build myself up.
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Good for you Morgan!
Yes, sometimes we need to really break down and let it go and then be resurrected.
As for me, flying is always a pleasure and the descent the worst of the best bit.
The best bit about flying is when the plane is about to take off and you feel the immense thrust building and then before you know it you are in the air. It really fascinaties me how this huge jets ever even get off the ground.
The only time I broke down I think was on the motorway once but the road service people rescued me within an hour
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