Kicking back in the engine of an Airbus
If you ask my Mom what one of her secrets to keeping sane was when she had two kids under the age of 6, she’ll tell you it was learning to fly. She didn’t fly herself, but she taught us not to be scared of flying. I was the kid with her nose pressed against the glass window at the gate watching the planes take off and land. I ran down the corridor and counted the rows to my seat, and insisted on the window seat so I could ‘ride on the clouds.’ It’s no wonder I became a travel writer.
I recently had the opportunity to go inside Virgin America’s Airbus 320 and explore the unknown first hand. I curled up in the engine, crawled in the cargo hold and sat in the cockpit, where I got first-hand information on all the gadgets and gizmos that make these steel wonders fly. While I’m not afraid to fly, checking out the cockpit and talking with the engineers actually made me feel more comfortable about being on a plane (and only intensified my desire to go to flight school).
But it also got me thinking: For those with the very-common fear of flying, understanding how a plane operates can help ease the anxiety during flights. Read my tips on overcoming your fear of flying on SingleMindedWomen.com.
Now that’s a cool picture.