Flight 4061

It was already raining the whole day.

I just finished a three week vacation in Auckland and I was about to leave for Wellington. I spent the day packing and got in the airport shuttle at just about 6pm. Flight leaves at 730pm. On the bus, I met this family from Missouri and they talked about their New Zealand vacation. Their little girl, tired from the trip, cried as her mother held her.

I get to the airport just before 7pm. I was cutting it pretty close. Weather hasn't changed, it was still raining. I checked in and found out that most of the flights have been delayed, so the flight boards at just before 8 and gets there at 9pm. I make my way to the gate, text Billy about the time change and play my new PSP until its time to board.

I hear the crowd at the waiting gate groan as a flight to Christchurch has just been delayed. My flight, though initially delayed, boards at the new time specified, so I'm happy about that. I pack my PSP, turn off the cellphone and get on the plane.

It's not a crowded flight and I make my way through the aisles to my seat. I spot a beautiful local girl sitting right behind me. I find myself staring at her an extra second than I should have. She looks right back at me and I look down, trying to look casual. Damn, I should have smiled.

I'm seated at 13D, aisle seat at the left side. No one else is sitting at my side. Good.

I stand up again to get something from my bag at the compartment above. I'm only pretending, I only want to see the pretty girl behind me. She's reading a book, so I can't start small talk.

I flip through Kill Phil, a book I got from a poker pro that was selling it at the casino the day I placed fifth at the Pot Limit Omaha tournament. That was a good day.

The flight attendants do their little show, I hardly pay attention to those anymore. Finally, the plane takes off and I read through a few more pages of Kill Phil before I decide to sleep. I am a little tired, running around the whole day and packing at the last minute. It was a damn good trip. I spent too much money though. Tsk.

The flight goes smoothly, the attendants go back and forth giving food and drinks and the same show. I find myself looking at the aisles front and back, but I'm only just trying to get a subtle glance at the pretty girl behind me. I give up and go back to sleep.

The pilot wakes me up as he announces that the plane is about to land soon. Wow, that was quick. I sit up straight and think about how good resting in Wellington is going to feel like. I haven't touched my laptop in three weeks too. I hate unpacking. Wow, sleep is so gonna feel good tonight.

The pilot says that because of the weather, they're going to stay in a holding pattern for a few minutes before they try to land. I think of all the airplane disaster movies for fun. I really liked Langoliers. I also think of the final destination movie, also cause I just saw the trailer for the third movie a couple of days ago.

I get lost in my thoughts and eventually, I realize that it's been awhile and we haven't landed yet. That's a little strange. I go back to daydreaming about my plans to bum around the next day.

The pilot announces that we missed the approach. He says the weather in Wellington is really bad, but that they're going to turn around and try to land again. I still don't think much of it. I'm still lost in my thoughts.

Minutes go by and I hear the sounds the plane makes when its landing gear is activated. I feel relief as finally the flight is over. A few seconds after, I hear the landing gear retract and I can feel the plane ascending again. My initial reaction was 'come on, land or crash; make up your mind'. In retrospect, I really shouldn't have thought that. Maybe I was just tired. Anyway, after that, the first hint of worry hits me.

The pilot announces that we missed the approach again and that the weather in Wellington has gotten much worse the last few minutes. He says that they're going to some place and stay above there for 15 minutes before they try to land again for a third time.

I flip through my book and read a couple of pages before I get a little dizzy. I put the book back and try to sleep my way through it. The turbulence is a little nauseating.

Finally, the pilot announces that they're going to try to land again for a third and final time. If it's too unsafe, then they'll fly us back to Auckland. My thoughts go from how to get in touch with Billy or if I'm getting a taxi cause Billy might have left already to what I'll do if they fly us back to Auckland. I can still probably make the poker tables there and maybe just book a hotel room. Although it sucks, cause I already packed and all that.

The pilot tries to land and I find myself reaching for the barf bag. That's a first for me. I catch myself saying a short prayer 'keep us safe'. Then I spend the next minute thinking about the semantics of that line. 'But heaven is safe, then is keeping me safe mean letting me die so I can go to a safer place?'. It's really a weird time to have a mini-debate in one's head.

And then the thought hits me. I might die. I might die in the next few minutes. You try not to think about it, but it's overwhelming. I think about my family and my friends and how I need to see that special someone before I die. That thought was probably just a few seconds long, but it felt like an eternity. I shake the thought loose from my head.

The landing attempt is very rough. The plane shifts from side to side and I can see the wings of the plane shift up and down. I finally see the city lights and I say 'this is it' to myself. I still hold the barf bag as some passengers behind take notice. Finally, the most awkward landing in aviation history takes place as the plane forces its way to the ground. Wow, I was second away from throwing up which is a feat considering I haven't eaten anything yet at that point. But I'm alive. Wow, I didn't die.

Half a second later, all the passengers cheer as the wheels roll on the runway. The pilot goes on to talk, a little self-congratulatory by the way, as the passengers continue to cheer and applaud. I find myself doing the same too. I'm safe and on the ground, surely that's reason for applause.

I look to my back and see a male passenger giving an inquiring thumbs up to me. I give the same thumbs up back to him and smile. Finally, the wheels stop, the doors unlock and this nightmare is over.

As I grab my bags, the male passenger and the pretty girl behind me strike up a casual conversation, about how scary the flight was, etc etc. I join the conversation while we wait for the passengers in front of us to start moving. I get in a few small talk at the pretty lady, although I know it's futile at this point. There's no chance for a longer talk and I probably looked like a wuss with me and my barf bag.

The passengers finally start moving and I walk by and see Billy waiting for me. I turn for a quick second to look at the outside view past the windows. The rain and winds were still blowing hard.

I was really lucky. I should have listened to the pre-flight show though.