Comments on: Aborted Normality

By: lookin4acity

lookin4acity — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:49:44 +0000

I’ve had a few aborted landings in my career. Call me strange but I rather enjoy them because it gives me an opportunity to SHINE as the cool, calm and collected professional that I was trained to be. When all eyes are fastened on me gauging how scared they are going to be by how composed (or not) I look is a huge responsiblity. I am proud to be the solid rock that gives my customers hope and confidence that the plane will land successly……this time.
Not to say I don’t get a little nervous, I just never show it. I learned to be that way from raising an active, accident prone kid. When my son would show up at home in a state of panic with blood pouring down his face from a richocheted rock that is imbedded in his head, he needed his Mom to remain calm and to take charge.On a less serious level I figure that what my customers need too.

By: Meg

Meg — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:13:45 +0000

I’ve experienced lots of aborted landings as a passenger. Once because another plane cut in line to land, and a few other times when trying to land in windy Bermuda. It’s an annoying delay, but not too scary for me — I trust that the pilots are trained for situations like this and they can do their jobs well. But I have had plenty of white knuckle landings, too

Do you ever get nervous as an FA, or are you pretty much desensitized to it all now?

By: Flygracefully

Flygracefully — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:29:11 +0000

As a passenger I gauge what is going on by the flight attendant reactions. If you look OK after something like that I figure everything is fine.

I’ve never had an aborted landing, but I did have a horrible landing at SEA. Everyone was so glad to touch the ground due to really bad wind.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:13 +0000

I’ve had one of those situations happen to me when I was commuting to work. Luckily we weren’t near the runway yet! They are scary situations to be in! The latest episode of The Crew Lounge talks about a United landing in Newark on its belly, and some encounters other FAs have had.

By: Zach

Zach — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:18:51 +0000

I’ve actually been on a flight that aborted a landing. It was at Ft. Lauderdale Airport in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We were probably 100 feet from the runway when all of a sudden the engines went to full throttle and we shot back into the sky. It turned out, another plane was on the runway because I could see the plane on it as we went up. My scariest encounter in a plane.

By: Traytable

Traytable — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:19:21 +0000

Scary aren’t they!!! I’ve worked out the best way to re-assure a pax (if smiling & words don’t work) is to sit there looking at my nails, as though I’m waiting for a bus. They usually figure if I’m calm enough to do that, then everything’s ok!

By: Sherri

Sherri — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:06:34 +0000

Wow! I hate landings like that! Especially when you have to go back up in the crap… with the fake smile.

By: Airboy

Airboy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:14:38 +0000

My God recalls my experience in a Typhoon brawl landing into Hong Kong. Pax were shaking like coke bottle in a crate. Runway was drowned in water and the winds were terrrible. Some times I thank god I’m sitting backwards.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:15:16 +0000

This was my first as well! Interesting stuff!

By: Andrew Fieldign

Andrew Fieldign — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:43:10 +0000

Holy shit, I’ve never had an aborted landing on any of the hundreds of flights I’ve been on as a passenger. Was that your first aborted landing as a FA?