THE MAN OUT THERE ON THE WING!

THE MAN OUT THERE ON THE WING!

KENNETH E. HALL AUGUST 26, 2018 HOUSTON

Terror comes in many forms and sneaks up on you when you lest expect it! For terror to do its job, it must take its victims by complete surprise, and show that IT and it alone is in control.

Airplanes are solid pieces of machinery, EXTREMELY well-built and designed to withstand an incredible amount of weather-related turbulence. But an airplane is not indestructible.

it is only within recent memory that Man has come to the true realization as to just how strong, formidable, and dangerous thunderstorm cells and their wind-shear can be, and these lessons were learned over time, and as a result of the deaths of a great many people. It was a high price to pay, indeed.

Long ago I was a passenger on a crowded night flight from Atlanta to New Orleans. We flew into the worst thunderstorm I have ever experienced! It was horrible! In fact, it was something out of "The Twilight Zone Movie" that was playing around that time. Severe turbulence suddenly came upon us - catching all of us completely unawares.

The whole cabin was in an absolute UPROAR! A few people who had been standing were trying to return to their seats, only to stumble like a drunkard on a Saturday night. Overhead bins were popping open, objects were falling out of them and onto the frightened passengers below, and there were occasional screams and shouts of sheer terror!

This flight was certainly no fun! In fact, FEAR ruled us all. I looked outside into the glaring eye of this monstrosity of a storm - and lightning flashed with diabolical blazing sparks as the plane and its hapless occupants were buffed about like a child's toys. Death was at this moment a great and a very REAL possibility.

I saw quite a frightening show as I looked out the window. Rain came down in torrents and rolled off the glistening wing - which reflected the electric blue and purple from the savage storm around us.

It was a sight to see!

Then a flight attendant with a serious, frightened look on her face was making her way slowly up the aisle, holding onto the seats for dear life as she did so.

I got her attention with a very serious and frightened demeanor:

"Ma'am! Ma'am!" I shouted.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, quite concerned.

I put a terrified expression on my face, pointed to the open porthole where the storm in all its fury could be clearly seen, and exclaimed: "THERE's a MAN OUT THERE ON THE WING!!!"

...quoting a line from the Twilight Zone Movie.

INSTANTLY everyone within earshot began to laugh, and panic died down just as quickly. I even heard a few chuckles and comments instead of worried cries.

Yes, I was joking, but that joke changed the demeanor of many of those frightened people who heard it, and in just a few minutes, happily, we emerged from that scary ordeal.

PANIC had ensued aboard that tiny airplane so high up amidst the thunderstorm clouds that night, and it took something radically different to take their minds off of the danger we were in.

Terror feeds off of terror, it has been said. That night, on that lonely plane so high in the stormy sky, it "was not a dimension of sight or of sound, but of MIND!"

HERE ARE A FEW OTHER AIRLINE-RELATED STORIES I HAVE ON MY BLOG:

http://kennyduke.blogspot.com/2014/06/institution-of-aggravation.html

http://kennyduke.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-heartfelt-lullaby-tiho-noce.html

http://kennyduke.blogspot.com/2018/08/air-lines.html

Lightning image By 350z33 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28155641

Not my photo.