These plane scares are not new since 9/11

[chri'stina 190]

Something I was just thinking of...

These plane scares are not new since 9/11. I'm sure many remember problems with hijacks and possible bombs on board planes in the late 70's, early 80's.

I forgot that I have actually experienced it. When we moved to Florida from NYC in 1984, we flew out of the Philly airport because we met up with my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents in Philly who were also moving with us. The men all drove down to FL in moving trucks, and the women and children flew down.

I was about 4 and my sister was 2. We got on the plane and I remember the sensation of going in circles and circles after it took off. The plane was circling around the airport for awhile instead of just heading for the destination. Then the pilot announces over the loud speaker, "We are returning to the Philadelphia airport because a bomb threat has been called against this plane". Now imagine, I doubt the pilot so openly says those things anymore. I don't know. So we landed at the airport far away from the terminals and had to go down steep stairs from the plane doors.

I didn't even know what was going on really since I was so young, my mom explained it all when I was a little older. All I know is I was a crying mess, and my mom was holding my little sister and bags and couldn't hold my hand down the stairs which looked very high and scary to me. So I didn't walk behind my mom and stayed at the top of the stairs crying, my mom was just walking down the stairs without knowing it. An old man picked me up a minute later and brought me down to my mom. My mom who is already freaked out from flying was doubly freaked out during that experience. To this day I joke with her "You left me at the top of the stairs!!! " Of course there was really no bomb on board and we were on a new flight a few hours later. Not fun though.

Anyone else deal with something like that?

Edited August 25, 2006 by stina&suj

[vartan 0]

nope only flew into heathrow once when it was being mortared by the IRA.. but thats all.

[Fuzzness 2]

The pilot showed lack of professionalism by announcing to everyone that there is a bomb threat on board. What did he think would happen, that everyone would remain calm? He could have just said that "we are returning to the destination airport due to a safety issue. there is no reason to panic blah blah blah"

[vartan 0]

I have a funny story .. I was on a plane and we were landing at the pilot came on and said "I don't want to alarm anyone but that was the co-pilots first official landing" hahah was the BEST landing I have ever had in a plane.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The pilot showed lack of professionalism by announcing to everyone that there is a bomb threat on board. What did he think would happen, that everyone would remain calm? He could have just said that "we are returning to the destination airport due to a safety issue. there is no reason to panic blah blah blah"

No kidding.

You know how they usually announce: "We're approaching xyz airport and are starting our descent at this time. Please remain in your seats with your seat belt securely fastened."

Now imagine instead of that they just go on the speaker saying: "We're going down, folks!"

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Now imagine instead of that they just go on the speaker saying: "We're going down, folks!"

I'd soil my pants.

[Alex+R 0]

My two sort of related experiences:

1. Losing pressure in the air and having to emergency land after dropping to 10,000 ft with no warning and oxygen masks dropping

(not terror related obviously) and

2. Being in Charles de Gaulle airport at the same time as the shoe bomber (not scary at the time, obviously)

[derekkj 0]

The pilot showed lack of professionalism by announcing to everyone that there is a bomb threat on board. What did he think would happen, that everyone would remain calm? He could have just said that "we are returning to the destination airport due to a safety issue. there is no reason to panic blah blah blah"

No kidding.

You know how they usually announce: "We're approaching xyz airport and are starting our descent at this time. Please remain in your seats with your seat belt securely fastened."

Now imagine instead of that they just go on the speaker saying: "We're going down, folks!"

I was on a flight once where almost all the other passengers were either priests or nuns. Must have been a convention going on! So I was feeling pretty safe, but the clincher was right before takeoff when the pilot announced himself as "Captain Bob Bible". Figured there was no way in hell were were going down!

[chri'stina 190]

My two sort of related experiences:

1. Losing pressure in the air and having to emergency land after dropping to 10,000 ft with no warning and oxygen masks dropping

(not terror related obviously).......

wow that would be freaky!

[Alex+R 0]

My two sort of related experiences:

1. Losing pressure in the air and having to emergency land after dropping to 10,000 ft with no warning and oxygen masks dropping

(not terror related obviously).......

wow that would be freaky!

Yes but they put us up in an amazingly nice hotel in Sao Paulo and then another one the next night in Chicago. It was kind of worth the trade-off.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I was on a flight once where almost all the other passengers were either priests or nuns. Must have been a convention going on! So I was feeling pretty safe, but the clincher was right before takeoff when the pilot announced himself as "Captain Bob Bible". Figured there was no way in hell were were going down!

Maybe God was telling you something.

[Fuzzness 2]

My two sort of related experiences:

1. Losing pressure in the air and having to emergency land after dropping to 10,000 ft with no warning and oxygen masks dropping

(not terror related obviously) and

2. Being in Charles de Gaulle airport at the same time as the shoe bomber (not scary at the time, obviously)

You probably lost air pressure first. When losing pressure in the cabin or cockpit the first thing the pilots do (after putting on their masks) is drop to 10,000 feet where there is enough oxygen and the temperature isn't -40

still i'm sure it was scary!

2. being in Charles de Gaulle airport is probably scary enough by itself.

[Alex+R 0]

My two sort of related experiences:

1. Losing pressure in the air and having to emergency land after dropping to 10,000 ft with no warning and oxygen masks dropping

(not terror related obviously) and

2. Being in Charles de Gaulle airport at the same time as the shoe bomber (not scary at the time, obviously)

You probably lost air pressure first.

First before what? That's pretty much all that happened. Then we went back to Sao Paulo and landed.

[garya505 2]

The pilot showed lack of professionalism by announcing to everyone that there is a bomb threat on board. What did he think would happen, that everyone would remain calm? He could have just said that "we are returning to the destination airport due to a safety issue. there is no reason to panic blah blah blah"

No kidding.

You know how they usually announce: "We're approaching xyz airport and are starting our descent at this time. Please remain in your seats with your seat belt securely fastened."

Now imagine instead of that they just go on the speaker saying: "We're going down, folks!"

I always tell my fiance before I'm going down.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I was on a flight and Samuel L. Jackson got on the P.A. and said "We got motherf#cking snakes on this plane"