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Original poster

Can anyone who knows about flying explain this incident?

43 replies

lurchersforlife · 16/08/2023 19:08

I am a nervous flyer and one thing that has helped me fly over the years is knowing as much as possible about what is going on so I know what to expect. This holiday my flight was delayed due to a technical issue - something I have always dreaded. It's only happened to me once before (I do 3-4 round trips per year) but this time was worse as we were already on the plane. We started off for the runway and a strange sound (maybe hydraulic in nature?) could loudly be heard. Then the pilot said there was an issue and we went back. He said an engineer would come and take a look - obviously my anxiety was through the roof. After about 30 mins he said they were still 'flummoxed' (that was the word he used) but we'd hopefully get going soon. I can't tell you how I felt at that point - I was hoping he'd say we'd be getting off and would need to get another plane, no matter what the delay.

However, less than 10 mins after saying they were 'flummoxed' the pilot said we were sorted and would be on our way once a slot was available! With that we set off for the runway again. I felt sick. We had to wait about 20 mins for a slot, during which time I tried my best not to shout 'let me off you mad people!' During this time the pilot did casually mention that 'everything is fine with the aircraft now.' Obviously I knew that the pilot didn't want to die and of course the plane took off and everything was fine.

The incident has played on my mind though and while I know no one here will know exactly what happened, I would love to hear any insights anyone may have about how normal this type of thing is and how you can go from 'flummoxed' to putting a bloody great plane full of people into the sky within the space of 10 minutes!

OP posts:
threelittlescones · 16/08/2023 23:19

I was a flight dispatcher (this isn't air traffic control or the people that stand with sticks guiding planes in like so many people seem to think!) and this is a very common occurrence. So many planes would have technical issues and after a quick check/fix would be on their way. Often passengers would already be boarded before the plane "went tech" and either stayed on while it was fixed or off they came. Aircraft are shuffled around much more than people realise. Airports, aircraft, schedules etc are ever changing from what is written down or "supposed" to happen. There really is no day at the airport that's the same as the last!

I'm not entirely sure if this will be a comfort or cause more anxiety but each aircraft has a list of things that are actually allowed to be wrong with it and still fly. But most of the time the pilots, who very often can be really rather casual about things but I found that was often more a sign of experience and comfort in their role which is a good thing, will err on the side of caution and get everything checked.

TheThingIsYeah · 16/08/2023 23:20

@sheworemellowyellow If you’re an anxious flyer, just remember that every airline is motivated by money - their only reason for existing - to put safety first. It’s literally not worth their while to take any risks. Every single step they take, decision made, put safety first.

Agree with this.

When a child is murdered by its scumbag parents and all the warning signs were ignored, I guarantee that the police/local authority/MP will press the "thoughts and prayers" button on their twitter page and say "lessons will be learned" only for the same shit to occur 3 months later.

In the airline industry, lessons really ARE learned. Every procedure is done for a reason. All that "cross check" stuff, "cabin crew seats for landing", "you're clear for take off' etc is deliberate based on some incident that occured at some distance time in the past.

I just wish after all these years they could come up with the technology that meant we could actually hear the pilot properly over the tannoy!

Original poster
lurchersforlife · 17/08/2023 06:12

Oh it was definitely that barking dog thing - that was exactly what it sounded like! It's so reassuring to think it was that, thank you! I did think the pilot probably sounded casual because with all his knowledge and experience he knew it was no big deal and he would know to trust the engineer - it's just thinking something and believing it are different once my anxiety takes hold.

This thread has helped so much and will do next time I fly - thanks all.

OP posts:
Cattlepillar · 17/08/2023 06:21

At least you were still on the ground! We were once an hour or two into a long haul flight and the captain came over the tannoy "ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem...with the water in the toilets...so we're going back to LHR". Luckily at this time I hadn't developed my fear of flying otherwise the casual begining of that announcement would have sent me into a panic!!

LemonTreeSkies · 17/08/2023 06:27

TheChosenTwo · 16/08/2023 22:49

Arghh I hate flying so much!
Can anyone answer me this? Why, shortly after takeoff, does the plane feel like it’s just fallen 100ft?!
OP I was once on a plane that was delayed because one of the engines wasn’t working, you could spot the concerned fearful flyers faces as 4 sets of beady eyes darted about looking at each other over the tops of the seats, we were like meerkats!
I do tend to calm myself down by thinking that pilots don’t want to die any more than we do and it wouldn’t look good for the airline to have a major fuck up so just have to trust in the process. It’s bloody horrible though.

Trim/flap changes. A captain told me to consider it like a gear change.

RenoDakota · 17/08/2023 06:28

It was probably the left phalange.
(Sorry, just couldn't help myself.)

Motherhubbardscupboard · 17/08/2023 06:40

@Cattlepillar same! "We have a problem with the left hand side of the aircraft.....[life flashes before eyes]...the video screens aren't working". We didn't turn around though, after that scare I couldn't have cared less whether or not I had any entertainment. I don't know if it was a bad joke or the pilot was just careless with his words.

notimagain · 17/08/2023 07:37

@TheChosenTwo

Morning…

Why, shortly after takeoff, does the plane feel like it’s just fallen 100ft?!

Usual process at many airports is aircraft climbs at a fixed speed and at pretty much a fixed angle up to a certain height above the runway (typically 1000 feet), then at that point the climb angle is reduced slightly and engine thrust is often slightly backed off as well.

The aircraft begins to accelerate, so then, as a pp previously mentioned, flap is progressively reduced and a process called trimming is done to compensate for the change in flap position.

What you are sensing might be the slight reduction in the climb angle at the 1000 (or other) point - it’s all done for noise abatement reasons.

HTH.

TheChosenTwo · 17/08/2023 09:38

Thanks @notimagain - it happens every time and I’m still alive, no one else ever looks panicked, but my heart is already racing by this point and I’m convinced we are plundering back to the ground when this happens, every time!!!
It does sometimes help to understand the why’s and the how’s when you’re a bit nervy.
Thanks for taking the time to explain 🙂

sashh · 18/08/2023 02:25

I bet it was something really stupid / silly.

I was once driving and my car started to make a really strange noise. No lights lit up on the dashboard and I stopped.

It was a cable tie that had got stuck on one of my wheels. I would say something similar happened on your plane which is why they didn't tell you what it was.

AlfietheSchnauzer · 18/08/2023 02:36

Sandals94 · 16/08/2023 19:59

My husband was a commercial helicopter pilot. He had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of the mechanics, really. Although they had to do a preflight check, it was pretty basic. Everything else was done by the mechanics in the hangers. I guess aeroplane pilots are the same. They are taught to fly the thing. But wouldn't have a clue how to fix it if something went wrong with the mechanics. Which isn't very helpful I appreciate, but that's why they have mechanics on the ground. It's a bit like a bus driver. He can drive the bus, but if it was making a strange sound, he probably wouldn't have a clue either!

This is not true. You'd be amazed at the technical & problem solving knowledge required of commercial aircraft pilots. You do realise that aircraft are more than just a couple of pedals and a gearstick, don't you?!

AlfietheSchnauzer · 18/08/2023 02:46

IdaPrentice · 16/08/2023 22:31

For a minute OP, I thought we'd been on the same fight - I had a similar experience very recently, on a flight home from a European city. We took off, then after about 30 minutes the captain announced that there was an issue with a cargo door light being on, so we had to turn round and go back to the airport we'd just left. It took ages of circling, presumably waiting for air traffic control to give clearance, before we landed again (and of course some passengers who'd had earphones in and hadn't heard the announcement were a little confused!). There was also lots of ironic laughter when they played the recorded message thanking us for flying with them and hoped we'd enjoyed the flight.

Once back on the tarmac we had no idea how long we'd be waiting, but it was perhaps 20 minutes before the captain said the problem was fixed and we just needed to refuel. We never found out if the door was actually open (so presumably some danger of things falling out!) or if the door light was faulty. There was a nervous flyer sitting behind me who was quite stressed by it all.

Cabins are pressurised! If the door was open, once the aircraft reached a certain height, you and everything else which wasn't bolted down would've shot out of that door at literal lighting speed. The engineer was 100% correct that the pressurisation would've (& does as a matter of course) sealed the door shut.

The reason the cabins are pressurised, is that once at said certain height, the air is too thin to breathe. You'd all die of hypoxia

AlfietheSchnauzer · 18/08/2023 02:50

TheThingIsYeah · 16/08/2023 23:20

@sheworemellowyellow If you’re an anxious flyer, just remember that every airline is motivated by money - their only reason for existing - to put safety first. It’s literally not worth their while to take any risks. Every single step they take, decision made, put safety first.

Agree with this.

When a child is murdered by its scumbag parents and all the warning signs were ignored, I guarantee that the police/local authority/MP will press the "thoughts and prayers" button on their twitter page and say "lessons will be learned" only for the same shit to occur 3 months later.

In the airline industry, lessons really ARE learned. Every procedure is done for a reason. All that "cross check" stuff, "cabin crew seats for landing", "you're clear for take off' etc is deliberate based on some incident that occured at some distance time in the past.

I just wish after all these years they could come up with the technology that meant we could actually hear the pilot properly over the tannoy!

I have a degree in Aviation & Airline Operations and THIS THIS THIS! ⬆️ Every single commercial a/c accident ever, has taught the industry something. The fact that, in the western world at least, where aviation safety is actually taken VERY seriously, we haven't had a major accident in quite some time now. For a reason

AlfietheSchnauzer · 18/08/2023 02:51

Motherhubbardscupboard · 17/08/2023 06:40

@Cattlepillar same! "We have a problem with the left hand side of the aircraft.....[life flashes before eyes]...the video screens aren't working". We didn't turn around though, after that scare I couldn't have cared less whether or not I had any entertainment. I don't know if it was a bad joke or the pilot was just careless with his words.

This did make me giggle 🤭

notimagain · 18/08/2023 06:31

@AlfietheSchnauzer

You're right in principle but I think some folks perhaps don't realise that the cargo hold is pressurised.

. The engineer was 100% correct that the pressurisation would've (& does as a matter of course) sealed the door shut.

For a passenger door yes, but cargo doors often open outwards (you can see the difference if you look at an aircraft being loaded on the ramp).

A potentially unlocked cargo door is a much bigger deal than an unlatched passenger door but you don't want either.

notimagain · 18/08/2023 06:34

^ (you can see the difference if you look at an aircraft being loaded on the ramp).^

I'll qualify that by saying you need to see the initial movement of both types of door to see the difference.

Sandals94 · 18/08/2023 08:27

AlfietheSchnauzer · 18/08/2023 02:36

This is not true. You'd be amazed at the technical & problem solving knowledge required of commercial aircraft pilots. You do realise that aircraft are more than just a couple of pedals and a gearstick, don't you?!

Show quote history

Like I said, fairly basic knowledge in training obviously but he couldn't fix the chopper if there was an issue - that is the job of the aircraft mechanics on the ground.

AlfietheSchnauzer · 19/08/2023 00:30

notimagain · 18/08/2023 06:31

@AlfietheSchnauzer

You're right in principle but I think some folks perhaps don't realise that the cargo hold is pressurised.

. The engineer was 100% correct that the pressurisation would've (& does as a matter of course) sealed the door shut.

For a passenger door yes, but cargo doors often open outwards (you can see the difference if you look at an aircraft being loaded on the ramp).

A potentially unlocked cargo door is a much bigger deal than an unlatched passenger door but you don't want either.

Yes I know, I was just referring to the comment from a PP about a PAX cabin door. At least I thought I was...Confused

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