Hi,

any pilots here from uk who can tell me what its like flying? i am going on my first flight to canaries from bristol and apparently its a long flight. i have never been on a plane before and i am totally s***i*g myself PLEASE PLEASE let me know what it feels like up in the air!

Thanking you all.

Hi Alsa & welcome. I assume you must have some interest in flying or you wouldn't be here. I think it would help if you ask what you're scared of. I know many people have a fear of flying. It's hard for me to imagine as I've never suffered from this myself & couldn't wait to get up in the air. It was everything I always thought it would be & I have loved it ever since.

Travelling on an airliner is not much different to being on a bus or train. In fact there's far less risk involved. If anything, a long flight is a boring but necessary part of the journey. I treat it as part of the holiday. This will be a new experience for you. Rather than worry about it you might as well look forward to it & enjoy it.

Thanks guys!! i am not sure what exactly i am afraid of i think its just stupid things like the engines cutting out and the gear failing but i feel a bit better about it now. Thanks again            

Cheers again.

Craig i took a look at your photos on myaviation.net the yeovilton ones are they in the fleet air arm mueseum or at an airfeild? I wanna go to see some planes but i went to bristol to watch yesterday and wasnt allowed to park anywhere. Know of any good a/p where i can watch without hassle?????

Cheers,

Sam

ALSA here are some things you can think about.
It's very probable that during the flight the aircraft will encounter turbulence and which feel like  a VERY bumpy ride. The human instinct feels that it is unsafe,but it is not. An aircraft flies just as good in calm air as it would in turbulent air. It wont tear the wings off
Flying in turbulence can be looked upon as riding on a strong motorboat in a storm. The waves will throw the boat around quite a bit, but it sure still floats 

When you have boarded the aircraft the most 'dramatic' thing event before actual take off is when the engines starts. Air condition will stop working and the lights in the cabin may go out for a few seconds. This is completely normal, engines need the air pressure to start up (pneumatics) and the lights goes out becuase the pilots switch power sources.

It's not un-common to sense the smell of smoke in the cabin during the taxiing, however it's not your aircraft that's on fire, you're just smelling the exhausts from an aircraft infront of you 
You may hear some sounds coming from the wings, it's just the sound of the flaps getting extended.

Time for takeoff, the aircraft taxi to the runway...it may stop for awhile. Engines are revving up, and the jet starts moving. The sound is unique it will be a total new experience for you, bumps from the runway will make the aircraft shake quite a bit and it feel like the pilot is pushing it to the limit...but alas that's not true aswell.

As the pilot rotates the aircraft upwards it may feel like you're flying with a 45 degree angle, but it's just around 15 degrees infact, the landing gear will make some thumps when they retract. Suddenly without explanation the noise from the engines will decrease and the plane appears to slow down and fall from the sky. It may not happen on your flight but it may very well do. But this is  a normal operation.
See, the pilots reduce the engine effect and level off abit to comply with noise abatement restrictions. The aircraft is not slowing down it's going faster and it's still going upwards but not as much. The aircraft don't need all the engine power anymore, but it needs to gain some speed before it can continue the climb without the addition lift generated by the flaps

The aircraft now has enough speed and lift so the flaps aren't needed, so you'll hear the same flap sound again 

As the aircraft approaches the Canaries the flaps are again extended (in increments), if you sit at the wings you can see the large metal high lift devices, aswell as the spoilers. Gear is extended so that will again generate some noise. This is where the trip is likely going to be as most shaky, but no needs to worry mate.

Even the most experienced passenger can get a scare when the aircraft lands and suddenly take offs again. These manouvers are called Go-arounds are are more common than you think. The pilot may have elected to do that because of sudden wind change etc.

But I can guarantee you that your trip will be trouble free, there's no safer travel than flying, and I really hope you enjoy your trip!

Take care 

Warning ALSA, flying is addictive
Prepare to grin like a maniac and want to do it all over again
Have a great flight, and we'll expect to hear all about your exciting experiences when you get back

Ozzy

hell no i dont:) Those residents are really really annoying. Most of them actually moved in after the airport became busy, and now all they do is bitch and complain, they have really nice houses, but they are also due to location really cheap. I guess aircraft take more than 13 miles to get past 3000 feet round here as they are almost always continuing straight on overhead, a few of the 737's and lighter loaded ERJ's make their left turns overhead though.

Hey Sam, your flight will be fine - unless i'm the pilot - oh wait - the FAA banned me from flying
In that case you will be as safe as houses and just enjoy the flight mate.

Thanx. Carl