as a proud Southwest stockholder, i am both scared and relieved by the photo above.
relieved in that the accident.... which could have been much much worse.... wasn't much much worse.
scared, because although i do not fly very often, this incident illustrates what i am most on edge about when i do fly.
some flyers think the take-off is the scariest -- will the pilot get us up to speed and in the air before running out of runway? will we hit a flock of birds during the ascent? will an engine conk out and force us to an emergency return to the airport?
some flyers fear turbulence and what that can do to a plane. i have been on flights with turbulence, but never anything serious that caused the plane to rapidly descend or throw flight attendants into the cabin's roof.
my biggest concern about flying is the landing. is the pilot awake? has he found the airport? is he coming in too fast, too slow, too high, too low?
and.... is the gear down and will it hold us? in the case above, it didn't.
whether it's been a great flight, a good flight, or a bad flight, feeling that "bump" as the front wheels touch down is a super-duper feeling.
i sure hope i'm never on a flight like the one above.
yeesh!
out for now.....
MH