When did we lose the wonder of flight?
Was it when they started the security striptease?
Was it the restrictions on liquids or the introduction of full body scanners?
The process has become so bad that, unless you are on a long haul[i] flight, you can spend more time checking in, going through security and waiting to board than you spend in the air.
Did you know that on any given day there are approximately 93,000 flights taking off from nearly 9,000 airports? In fact, at all times, there are between 8,000 and 13,000 airplanes in the air.
These days we all get on board and sit down like we are taking a school bus trip: sit in your assigned seat; take turns going to the bathroom; don't kick the seat in front of you; keep your voice down; be polite to the person in charge; and watch the safety demonstration as there may be a pop quiz.
(Although, if you are unlucky enough to get that particular pop quiz, knowing the answers could be the difference between life and death…so, I’d pay attention if I were you).
How many times have you stopped and thought about the fact that you are defying gravity and travelling tens of thousands of feet above the earth?
The brilliance of the design and engineering that gets this plane off the ground, keeps it there and then delivers you safely to your destination is, quite frankly, awe-inspiring.
As I write this, I am in a plane over Colorado en route to Oklahoma City. The view is vast and flat for as far as the eye can see... and from up here, my eye can see an awful lot.
Yet, I find myself thinking, 'Thank goodness, I'm finally on my way.' I had missed my earlier connection due to a late departure from Albuquerque and was ‘stranded’ at Denver International Airport.
That first flight was on a prop plane, a Q400. While I’m sure it was safe, it was a bone rattling flight. Turns out that missing my connecting flight was a blessing in disguise as it was to be on the same type of craft. Instead I had a pleasant three hours of downtime in a very nice airport, using the food coupons gifted to me by United Airlines.
With hours of free WIFI access and a good meal behind me, I then boarded a ‘real’ plane. Now I'm on a 737-800 – it's a bigger plane with a smoother ride and altogether easier on my blood pressure.
But, there I go again, forgetting that I am FLYING!
This has been the dream of man for millennia and here we are getting on board, being bored and just longing for it to be over.
Once in a while we should all sit back and marvel at the wonders of flight.
[i] Flight classifications are generally as follows: short haul is one to three hours; medium haul is three to six hours; long haul is six to eight hours and ultra long haul is anything over eight hours. The longest regularly scheduled non-stop flight in the world was Singapore Airlines Flight 21 which flew between Singapore’s Changi Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport from 28 June 2004 until it was cancelled on 23 November 2013. It covered 15,343km/9,534mi in 18hours, 30 minutes. Now, the longest non-stop commercial flight by distance is now Qantas flight QF7 at 13,800km/8,575mi flight from Sydney to Dallas/Forth Worth, taking 16 hours. The longest by time is Delta flight 200 from Atlanta to Johannesburg at 16 hours, 35 minutes, with a distance of 13,581km/8,439mi.