Yesterday we had a charter - we flew a couple of hours west, then a couple of hours east and ended up overnighting in scenic, fresh-smelling New Jersey. Not Teterboro airport (it's underwater at the moment due to recent rainfall), but Newark, another major airport that feeds New York City along with La Guardia and JFK. We head home this afternoon, then tomorrow we are off again on a charter, heading south to spend a few days in Florida.
Yesterday was uneventful with one minor note; it was a wee bit bumpy coming into Newark yesterday, with some clouds and rain, and we had to hold for about 20 minutes before landing. Everyone was calling it "light chop" and that's actually all it was.
Anyway, when we landed, one of our pax pointed at the other pax and said "This guy needs an ambulance". I laughed, thinking it was a joke. But apparently the other guy got really motion-sick during our final approach, and he actually needed to collect himself for about 10 minutes before he was able to walk off the airplane. He was actually bright green, and I would have loved to take a pic but I wasn't able to think of a reason for asking the guy to pose.
The guy stumbled out of the plane and then had to stand doubled-over while touching his toes for a few minutes, standing motionless and breathing deeply.
I told them the weather for today indicated fewer bumps, but sick-boy might actually take another way home rather than air travel, and we might end up only taking one guy back home after their meetings this afternoon.
I have a pretty weak stomach when it comes to aerobatics - I'm good for about 5 minutes of flinging myself through the sky and then it's time to land. I remember doing spin training in flight school and sweating through every minute of it, not because I didn't like spins (they are really cool) but because my stomach was in my mouth for the last hour of each lesson. Hell, I don't ride the merry-go-round because I am nauseous for hours afterwards, so I felt kind of bad for our poor sick-boy passenger. He was even sober; I checked our commissary and they had only consumed water and pop on board.
I'm just glad it wasn't actually bumpy yesterday, and I'm especially glad the pax didn't order extra catering; if they had, I suspect we would have been getting our plane's interior steam-cleaned last night.
11 comments:
A few years ago, I was on my last lesson before my PPL flight test. After a couple of hours of upper air work in intense summer afternoon turbulence, I was feeling a bit green myself, and as we approached the airport I gave my instructor a choice: if I kept control, I could land the plane fine but I would also throw up all over; if he landed the plane, I'd probably manage to hold down my lunch (I used many fewer words, of course).
He took control, and I held in my stomach contents. The instructor told me that if the same situation came up during the PPL flight test, the examiner couldn't fail me for throwing up as long as I kept control. I flew the test in calm early evening air, had a couple of bags at the ready, and chewed peppermint gum all the way through just to be safe (strong mint is very good against nausea).
I've lived in New Jersey for 6 years now, and I bust on it all the time, but really, it's not fair to judge it on the area around Newark airport. That's like me judging Canada on what I've seen (and smelled) around Toronto airport- and it's not much better than KEWR. Contrary to popular belief, NJ is mostly farmland and pine-barrens, and it's beaches are among the best in the country. Yes, the areas around New York and Philadelphia have some really awful slums and abandoned industrial areas, but much of this state is beautiful.
I enjoy reading your stuff, keep up the good work. You're too good a writer to have to resort to 'Jersey-Bashing'.
Do you always request to land at the north end? Sorry for the 270 heading ... Cleveland switched you to me when you were already 10 miles into my airspace and terminal didn't tell me until after I turned you that I could give them vertical between you and the Air Canada ahead of you.
- Toronto Centre Controller on 133.3
Hi ATC! - We are based out of the north end at Landmark so the north runways are our first choice.
No sweat on the heading, we were just happy to get out of Newark and headed home - there was taxi flow control for an hour before we were allowed to fire up the engines, and then a further 35 mins in line ("You are number 26 for departure") on the ground in Newark before we were able to depart.
dashdog - As far as bustin' on Jersey, I take your point and I'll be sure to get the 50-cent tour before passing further judgement.
hey 33.3 it was me on the mic tonight, no prob at all on the turn, like suly said we just got back from EWR where we got fully bent over coming and going (got spun on the way in, brought in low in the chop, got a speed assignment that had us hoover up the guy in front of us on final, flow control on the way out with all the fixings).
you came through on the rwy change for us! thanks again for co-ordinating, i know things get busy for you but we appreciate when you can pass it along to satellites before we get switched otherwise we're scrambling to set up (if they do approve it) when the vectors, step downs and speeds are coming at us (and as you know our breed can't chew gum and hold a heading at the same time so it all helps).
and, yes, we will shamelessly continue to request the north end (or until we start getting paid by the hour)
In my PPL training the only time I would start getting queasy was doing unusual attitude after unusual attitude after unusual attitude while wearing foggles. And then I'd recover, and then I would hear, "Look down close your eyes."
After about four of those (the various G forces with no outside reference) I was in a cold sweat.
Now if your clients decide to go somewhere other then Newark or Teterboro then New Jersey looks more like this.
Princeton, NJ
Nicer to look at then any part of Toronto :)
After leaving the Newark area I think New Jersey is a pretty nice spot to visit.
Turbulence!!!!!!! It's what I fear the most. I been subject to dealing with motion sickness all my life. I'll make a mental note of the Peppermint Gum.
For the last 3 days in Vegas, we've had really strong winds....I couldn't help but think how it must have been in the air.
Wow!
I used to fly into Newark quite often and one time it struck me that almost all of the airport surface is paved over. We did spot a little triangle between the taxiways that had some green grass. I called ground and reported it. They said that they'd get right out there and take care of that.
Ever been to one of those airports where the space between the taxiways is paved yet painted green to trigger our instincts not to put the wheels on the green stuff?
Motion Sickness --
I get air sick in gliders. I found that ginger is the best thing for it. You can get ginger chewables at a GNC or similar.
We give our car-sick dog ginger cookies before we go out. Seems to help some.
--paul
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