I remember years ago flying into Paris on a 777 before I became a pilot. I was watching the airspeed and altitude readout on the in-seat TV.
The engines went to idle and it showed us down to like 120 knots. I kept thinking we were about to stall. In retrospect, I'd guess that what I was actually seeing was a GS readout or it simply wasn't correct.
Nowadays, nothing scares me really. I don't like turbulence because it sucks and is annoying, not because I'm fearful of it.
When you think about it, takeoff on a jetliner is pretty violent. Loud, shaking, g-forces push you back, and the climb out is pretty steep. I'm surprised more regular people aren't scared of flying.
It seems to me looking around that most people think that an airliner "is just like my living room chair. I sit in a nice room and it ends up in Chicago, New York, Paris, wherever". It's both good and bad. Good in that most don't seem afraid of flying (seems like back in the sixties, seventies many more nervous folk on planes) but at the same time they take it TOO much for granted.
This has nothing to do with me learning to be a pilot, etc. I've always been bugged by folk not paying attention in situations that could cost lives. Flying is safe, BUT it still needs to be respected. You need to know where the primary, secondary and any other exits are, and which type of doors, how they open, etc. you need to put up the damned seat tray, and clear the aisles before TO or landing. I see folks all the time oblivious to this.
You don't expect an emergency, but you should have a plan in case. I personally think airlines (or the rules that make them do this) are making a mistake by starting their safety briefing by teaching everyone how a damned seat belt works. It gives people the impression that "this isn't serious".
One other thing I wondered. It was a long time ago flying from Norway to the US, in winter. I only knew of aviation through my father at that point who was a pilot, but I knew icing was very dangerous. The plane was de-iced by a de-icing "shower" but the plane was on hold, and missed its slot. The minutes became a half hour, fourty five minutes, etc. and I began to wonder how long the deicing fluid would be effective.
Which got me to wondering (I still don't know how long it is effective) what rights a passenger has actually. You have to trust the pilots, but say you knew conditions were ripe for wing icing, and that the time since deicing had gone too long....would you as a passenger be able to call the FA and request to leave the plane?
Anyone ever been in a situation you thought was not safe, on an airliner, and what did you do?
