I blame Cairo. I was flying from Madrid to Cairo in February 2009 when we ran into a storm over the Mediterranean. The pilot made a quick announcement that it was going to be a bit bumpy and for people to take their seats. I’d noticed previously that on international flights the seat belt sign is not as quickly activated as in the US. I always chalked that up to Americans being sue happy and the airlines not wanting any lawsuits stemming from people getting shaken about.
“A little bumpy” was an understatement. The turbulence was so severe that it felt like we were on a ride at the county fair. The flight attendants had to take their seats. For over and hour we rocked front to side and then side to front. I noticed a man in the row in front of me take out his rosary beads at the 45 minute mark. And then from the back of the plane came a loud “bang”. The flight attendant in the nearest jump seat sprang out of her chair and ran to the back of the plane. One of the food carts had become unlatched and was slamming into the back door. I turned my music up full volume and glared jealously at a passenger in the window seat next to me, “How could he be sleeping?”, I thought to myself. I longed for his certitude. It wasn’t until I saw the green lights from the hundreds of minarets across Cairo that my heart stopped racing. We were descending and landed without incident.
Ever since that fateful night I have become more and more uneasy upon take off and jittery at particularly bumpy flights. I tell people, “I’m not the greatest flyer”. Which is comical as just in this last month alone I crisscrossed the country three times. Los Angeles to New York, Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Los Angeles to Miami. You would think with all the traveling I do it would get easier but it hasn’t.
So how do I cope? Not with pills. People have told me to take anxiety drugs. I am not one for pills. I grew up on medication as a child and as an adult I shy I away from pills. I don’t like any medication that makes me feel unlike myself.
1.) I’ve studied a lot about aviation and I understand what turbulence is and why it is caused. This has helped. The more I understand about the basic dynamics of flight the more I become interested in the process. Hey, if you are in a chair at 35,000 feet that is quite a miracle in and of itself.
2.) I love the aisle seat as it is offers me the opportunity to get out up a bit. I feel I am more at ease when I have the freedom to get out of seat.
3.) I listen to music and I read. I love distraction. Recently I had a nice chat with a fellow passenger during take off and for the first time in years I didn’t notice that we were up in the air until they made the 10,000 feet announcement, “Safe to turn on your devices”.
4.) I can’t sleep on planes. Never have and never will. So sleep it not an option. But that is OK as I find I am more at ease when I know where we are in our route and the time to destination.
5.) The statistics are on our side. Plain and simple. Even with the recent crazy events in aviation the safety of air travel has been proven.
Fear often pushes us away from our goals or away from the riskier decisions of our life. Yet I continue to face my fear head on and I will never let it get the best of me. Travel is the love of my life. The irony is not lost on me.
My advice dear reader is to find what you love most and then head straight to it. Should you encounter any unwanted bumps along just turn up the tunes and fasten your seat belt and be happy in the knowledge that you are on your way there.
The Vagabond Filmmaker 