GUEST COLUMN – WHITE KNUCKLES

By CAROL J. RHODES
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. There are only three planes ahead of us, so we should be getting off the ground in about five minutes or so. Our flying time to Houston will be three hours and five minutes, the weather forecast is for clear skies, so it should be a pleasant flight. Meal service will begin as soon as we are airborne, so for now just sit back and relax. We at Delta thank you for choosing to fly with us today. Flight attendants, please be seated for takeoff.”
My husband and I had just spent Easter weekend in New York City with our son Steve, age 10, who was attending a boarding school in upper state Connecticut. We’d gone to see two plays on Broadway, eaten at every pizza place within a ten-block radius of our hotel. visited the planetarium, thg zoo, and, of course, FAO Schwarz, all in an effort to appease Steve’s returning to school instead of going to Houston with us. He would be joining us at the end of the school year, but in the meantime, we were consumed with making the third major move in the previous nine years. After saying goodbye at the bus depot, and watching our tearful son board the bus for Indian Mountain School, my husband and I took a taxi to LaGuardia.
Despite my excitement about moving back to our hometown, I cried all the way to the airport. The takeoff was smooth as the plane circled out over Long Island Sound, then turned landward and South. Midway through breakfast, we heard one of the stewardesses announce: Ladies and gentlemen. We’ve just been informed by our Cockpit crew that we must discontinue our meal service at this time, and that we wrll be returning to the airport. Please pass your trays to the end seat for pickup at this time.”
“Honey, what’s wrong? Why are we going back? I asked. “I don’t know, but everything’s going to be fine. They’ll probably tell us something more in a minute, but this means we’re going to be late for our closing at the title company.” ”May I have your attention please? This is the captain again. The plane’s landing gear has only partially retracted, and we will be returning to LaGuardia. But, because we’re too heavy to land, we’ll have to dump most of our fuel. We’ll be circling out over the Atlantic for the next forty-five minutes or so before heading back in, and will try to make you as comfortable as possible in the meantime.”
“Allen, we’re going to crash, aren’t we? Recalling to him the look on Steve’s face when we said goodbye, I added, “What if that’s the last time he saw us?”
My husband, a former Navy pilot, tried his best to console me, but I could tell he, too, was concerned. We held hands and prayed silently. Everyone on the plane must have been doing the same, as the only sounds to be heard were the droning of the engines and the intermittent dinging of the seatbelt sign. “Well, folks, so far so good. We’ve been dropping in
altitude and will be ianding in a few minutes. Piease pay attention to your cabin attendants while they advise you of some evacuation procedures. We’re going to try our best to get you on the ground safely. However, the landing gear may collapse, in which case we will land on our belly. But ground crews have laid down foam on the runway to prevent the possibility of fire. If we must deplane under emergency conditions, please try to stay calm, follow directions of your cabin attendants, and
do not, I repeat, do not try to take any personal belongings with you.”
At the first bump on the ground, I lifted my head from the pillow on my lap to see that the fire prevention foam
had fogged the windows. The engines were still roaring in reverse as we were told that the landing gear had held. Applause and shouts could be heard over those of us who were still praying.
“Ladies and gentlemen. We will be deplaning just as soon as the stairs have been lowered. Be sure to take all of your belongings with you at this time, and please watch your step. You will be transferred by bus to another plane. We are sorry for any inconvenience this delay may have caused you, and hope that in the very near future, you will have the opportunity to fly with us again.”