Turbulence

I've seen shaky wings before. But this was something different. Amidst the turbulent conditions, the joint of the wing and the 2nd engine of the Boeing 747-400 looked weak. I kept a close eye on it for the first leg of the journey, hoping it wasn't real.



At Frankfurt, I alerted the crew before I exited the plane. Later, I realized that the crew was changing as well. I made a mental note to tell the new crew too. As I took my seat, I was contemplating.

"What if they delay the flight, again?"

"What if they just laugh it off?"

It was something I had to tell them rather than not. I asked for the cabin crew supervisor and informed him that the wing looked unstable, rather the upper part of the engine looked like falling off any minute. He said, "Don't worry, Sir. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." I turned around and took my seat. Now, I had made it a point to not tell him this in front of the other passengers. I didn't want to cause panic. Anyway, it all fell on deaf ears. Maybe if I would have told him that I was an aerospace engineer, it would have made a difference. But I just had a bachelors in it, and I haven't gotten half way through my Masters. I'm an engineer none the less.



As I sat in my seat, I thought, "If the plane crashes now, and I survive, I will sue Air India. Better even, I will punch the guy for not listening and then sue them."



Maybe being in this field and studying most of these mechanisms make you overly cautious at times. I have noticed that happening many times with me. I just know how things work and fail so well, that I worry too much.



I kept both eyes on the wing this time. Non-turbulent conditions made my life easier this time and the flaps worked fine during the final approach.



I got to Mumbai in one piece.