Sunday, October 24, 2010

Angry Arab in the cockpit

I was in the MEA plane on the way to Beirut.  I was going out from the restroom to return to my seat.  At that point, the co-pilot was emerging from the cockpit.  He greeted me warmly and said that he was a big fan.  I thanked him.  Thereupon, he insisted that I join him in the cockpit.  I explained that I have a terrible, multi-dimensional fear of planes and that I would be too nervous and that I may puke on the flight control buttons.  I returned to my seat.  A flight attendant then came to my seat, and said that the two pilots are insisting that I join them in the cockpit.  I proceeded to enter the cockpit, and sat on the third seat behind them.  The chair was not comfortable and it does not recline.  I expressed displeasure and threatened--yet again--to puke on their devices.  The view from the cockpit was so wide but I was too nervous to enjoy.  The pilot was then explaining to me how things work and how they know something was wrong.  I asked him to not explain how things go wrong, as hard as they both tried to reassure me.  As we began our descent on Beirut, i basically closed my eyes completely.  The pilot would sometimes turn back toward me to talk, and I would nudge him to look straight ahead and focus on the plane.  That is my story.