Take off when flying to some can be a huge roller coaster adventure.
For me, it is a scary ride from hell.
Take off is the part of flying I hate the most.
The thoughts that run through my head when flying cannot conceive how the plane can really get up and so I convince myself we are going down.
Every damn time.
There are plenty of tips I can offer you for take-off to ease your mind.
You could read a book, do the Sudoku puzzles, start watching the movies or listen to music, or chat to the person beside you, maybe even hold their hand. (here is my flight ritual to overcome my fear of flying)
There is one thing, however, that you should NEVER do.
It was something I had never even considered before as being an option until it was brought to my attention recently on our Air Asia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Australia.
The plane had just taken off and I was coping all right, thanks to Nicole from Planning with Kids, who diverted my mind from plane crash and burn by talking about blogging.
The plane was gaining altitude when suddenly a loud noise came from in front of us. I jumped from fright thinking for sure that this was IT.
The air hostess, strapped in her seat diagonally across from us, whipped her head around, horror stricken over her face.
We all swung our heads towards the noise.
Out from the toilet door, ever so casually, an elderly woman stepped with a friendly smile upon her face and a wobbling of her fragile legs.
The shaking plane from turbulence and take off speeds causing her to almost topple to the floor.
Our eyes popped wide open in disbelief before we erupted into fits of giggles.
The air hostess did not find it amusing.
She ordered her to sit in the empty seat in front of her. The old lady seemed to give the shoulder shrugging reply of,
“What did I do wrong? I just needed to go to the toilet. When you gotta go, you gotta go.”
“You MUST not get out of your seat until the seat belt light goes off” she spat with venom.
Nicole and I continued to laugh until we hit cruising altitude.
“How the hell did she manage to go on the toilet, while taking off?”
It was the most random hilarious moment I have experienced flying on a plane.
So my number one tip for you for take-off when flying is to NEVER ever sit on the toilet.
You will get told off by the air hostess and give everyone a great laugh and a story to tell.
What crazy incidents have you witnessed whilst flying?
