Our female pilot was good (like all female pilots I have flown with) but we soon encountered a slight turbulence. I looked at Fred through the corner of my eye and realized that he either was not feeling the sudden vibration of the plane, or was taking everything coolly.
I recently flew from Abuja to Lagos. That’s not the news. The news is that I was with my teenage nephew, Fred. It was his first flight and I was keen to ensure that he does not develop phobia for flying due to some unforeseen situation in the air.
So I told him what to expect during take-off. I explained the unnerving feeling of being airborne for the first time and told him that it was normal. Fortunately for us, we had to stay on the runway for almost 15 minutes waiting for clearance (perhaps due to sudden bad weather in Lagos) and we had the rare privilege of watching a plane land with a puff of smoke from its wheels less than 100m away from our window. Of course we were able to see another plane taking off also and it was easy to make Fred appreciate the novel feeling that awaited him when it was our turn to speed and jump.
We eventually got cleared and were soon in the air. When we found our cruising altitude somewhere around 10km above the ground (the pilot had said he will be cruising at 33, 000ft) we began to enjoy what was more like a bus ride, even though we were moving at a speed of around 300km/h.
Fred was having fun but I knew what may happen without warning. I knew we could encounter turbulence, or go through an air pocket and begin to lose altitude, or just experience any of those few things that cause plane passengers to become absolutely silent out of trepidation.
So I told Fred about turbulence. I said we could fly through a boisterous cloud and the plane could shake uncomfortably. I also told him (without mentioning the phenomenon of air pocket) that we may momentarily lose altitude. For me, turbulence was preferable to air pocket due to an earlier experience i had had. So I emphasized the fear that may grip him in a sudden lose of altitude and told him he had nothing to worry about. It was normal.
Our female pilot was good (like all female pilots I have flown with) but we soon encountered a slight turbulence. I looked at Fred through the corner of my eye and realized that he either was not feeling the sudden vibration of the plane, or was taking everything coolly.
I continued my nap.
When we began our landing protocol, we seemed to lost altitude a couple of times — as usual — and Fred still did not flinch. To cut the already long story short, Fred’s first flight was a pleasurable experience for him. I don’t know how exhilarating the experience would have been if he sat all by himself through the flight and had no prior warning.
Proof that my warning was a factor in Fred’s hitch-free inaugural flight was soon provided. After a couple of days in Lagos, Fred had to return to Abuja. And he had to return alone. I took him to the Lagos airport fairly confident that, apart from luggage experience, he was already a confident flier. So I allowed him watch me check-in his luggage so he will learn how to do so whenever he was all by himself. Shortly after we arrived the airport, Fred was airborne on his way back to Abuja.
I had warned him about putting his phone on flight mode but, because he was a teenager, I checked his compliance with my rule by repeatedly calling his line, while making my way out of the airport. If his phone rang before an hour, I will know that he put off the flight mode. Naughty. Somehow, I think Fred complied because, when his phone eventually rang, he told me they had landed in Abuja.
After thanking God for their safe arrival, I asked Fred about his return flight; and that was when I realized my mistake.
Fred said he was a little scared on the return flight. When I anxiously asked if it was turbulence, he said no. Was it lose of altitude, he said no. As soon as he explained what had scared him, I remembered what I had completely forgotten to warn him about.
When planes approach the Abuja airport from Lagos, it seems (to the best of my knowledge) that their flight direction is not aligned towards the runway of the Abuja airport. So they take a turn while approaching the runway. This has always been my experience on the Lagos-Abuja route. The same does not happen while you’re approaching Lagos from Abuja on the Abuja-Lagos route.
When the plane is turning to align with the Abuja runway, a whole lot of things happen. Not only does the plane begin to make an intermittent sound that reminds you of a whistle, it also begins to actually turn. I have sat by a window seat on certain flights and actually see the wings of a plane flapping while it tries to turn.
Because Fred received no prior warning about this turn of the plane — which registered in his mind like a disaster about to happen — he nearly lost his cool. It did not help matters that he was alone in a rear seat at the back of the plane. My guess is that, because of my warning during his earlier flight, he just hoped the strange sound and change of direction he was experiencing were not out of the ordinary.
Don’t laugh at Fred if you fly all the time. Because he experienced something he was not expecting, he got scared. But when he experienced something no less frightful, he took it coolly because he had been warned.
Do I need to add more words to this post analyzing this story for its apparent lessons?
Life is full of uncertainty.
Don’t even let failure upset you. It is part of life.
Same with tragedy, disappointment, unfair criticism, tribulation, heart-break, sickness, sorrow, or even injustice.
Never lose your cool.
Read biographies or watch documentaries and learn from the true life stories of others, just like some readers would have a better first time flight experience just because they read this post. The more warnings you have about life (through the stories of others and even through stories in the Bible) the better prepared you will be to deal with life situations.
Part of my work as a writing consultant involves interviewing mostly old men (average age: 65+) in order to write their biographies. I have learnt a whole lot from these true stories.
Interestingly, Fred is not likely to need any warnings anymore. As with life, when you go through tough or difficult situations, you gain stamina to deal with other situations.
Deep in his mind, he now realizes that, while flying feels great, there are times when you just have to seat quietly and wait out the discomfort. That mindset is very important.
End of story.
Turbulence in the air is not a certainty; it may or may not happen. But the next biggest event in your life must take place, whether or not you believe it, want it, or expect it.
It’s either you sleep the sleep of death or Jesus Christ returns to the earth.
Are you ready for any of these?
May God have mercy on all of us.
Joe Dauda
