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Perspectives
 Here's to the Happy Endings
A few months ago, while flying at 8,000 feet, we had an engine problem. There was smoke in the cockpit, and for a while, we thought the airplane was on fire. During our emergency descent to a nearby airport, the engine started banging like it was being beaten with a stick, and we both knew we didn’t have much time to get down.
The good news is that there was a happy ending. Unlike so many stories we’ve all heard or read about, neither we nor the airplane suffered a scratch.
A few months later as we flew over the thick forests peaking the Allegheny Mountains, we got to talking again about that hasty descent. What struck us both was the distinct feeling of surprise that something bad was actually happening to us.
Every time you fly, you think about all of the things that might go wrong and what you can do to affect the outcome. But in that real-life moment, a moment when a voice over the loud-speaker should have been booming, “This is not a drill,” it didn’t. It took several full minutes before we realized that the smoke we smelled was not from the brush fire ahead of us but was in fact coming from our airplane. It was a sort of, “This isn’t really happening to me” surprise. We had just passed an airport, so our plan of action was pretty clear. It was simply a matter of getting on the ground before the situation got any worse. In those moments, we were two people working as a team because both our lives depended on it.
We learned a few lessons that day. First, if something goes wrong, recognize and deal with it quickly. Second, everyone in the airplane needs to work toward a solution, whether that means opening a window to vent the smoke, or reminding the pilot to drop the gear. Third, frequent passengers should become familiar with the entire landing procedure. And finally, practice emergency procedures with the you fly with regularly. Explain what should happen for a given situation, and what each person in the airplane can do to help. Remember that when something goes wrong, it’s not just the pilot who can effect the outcome.
So as you venture off to your next destination, remember that the odds are, nothing bad will happen to you. But if it does, be sure that everyone in the airplane is prepared to work as a team to ensure a happy ending.
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