The Flight Of Your Life

Debris was strewn all around. It littered the hillside and surrounding fields. The wreckage had disposed of itself in an disorderly manner. It didn’t have a care in the world. Hurtling towards Earth at more than 200mph, it’s aims were to cause as much destruction as possible. The plane was beyond recognition… and so were many unfortunate beings. This time our crash would be different to the ones people know of, we were about to experience suffering beyond imagination.

***

The runway at Heathrow on a Friday morning was like rush-hour on the M1. Everywhere was gridlocked. Planes queued on the tarmac; their engines purred from the slight intake of air. Passengers were anxious to depart and get on their way to their chosen destination. Families, married couples and newly weds were all heading to New York. A six hour Atlantic crossing in calm weather, the perfect conditions for flying. 

Onboard flight 247 were two hundred and fifty one passengers. A full aircraft. Not unusual for this time of the year. Recently serviced, the plane was in immaculate condition. No major faults, no expense to be paid. A pilots dream craft. Flying the plane today was Captain Hamilton, accompanied by First Officer Newsam. Captain Hamilton was widely recognised within the aviation industry for his impeccable flying skills and hours accumulated. If there was anyone who you would want to fly with, he was the man. First Officer Newsam was a contrast to Hamilton. Newsam had acquired very few flying hours and was two years fresh from aviation college. Her mind was a textbook, no real hands on experience to learn from, just thousands of black and white pages containing important information. This crew contrast was popular within the airline company. A variety between the old, and the new. 

“Flaps set to fifteen degrees.. Throttle on idol.. Breaks to be released,” announced Captain Hamilton, whilst adjusting the aircrafts settings to prepare it for flight. Newsam acknowledged his speech by a slight nod of the head, then began checking the temperature and pressure within the aircrafts engines. All was normal. They were set for take-off. All they needed was runway clearance from air traffic control and then they were ready to manoeuvre the eighteen tonne lump of metal into the air. 

“Flight 247 this is air traffic control, runway 3-1 left is clear for take off… Good day from London.”

Captain Hamilton responded via the radio, then placed his firm hands around the throttle levers. Gently nudging them forwards, the speedometer began to increase. The giant aluminium structure was hurtling down the runway. Its wings reached out for more air. Its engines breathed heavier for more power. Eventually, its demands were met… Soaring through the morning sky, flight 247 was now on route to LaGuardia airport. 

~~~

Five hours had passed quickly leaving the final hour to consist of landing preparation and manual flying. First Officer Newsam was waiting for a weather report of New York to come through, whilst Captain Hamilton was admiring the orange sunrise on the horizon. He had seen this sight many times before however, no two sunrises were ever the same. 

“It’s going to be a beautiful day!” exclaimed Newsam who was stunned by the scenery. Captain Hamilton turned his head, revealing his pronounced jaw line, and smiled. It was the first time that he had flown with a female co-pilot, to which he was amazed by her knowledge and flawless complexion. He was lost in the moment. 

Suddenly, they were both brought back to reality. A warning sound on the control panel was beeping furiously. First Officer Newsam was the first to react. She removed her hands from the column and stated that Captain Hamilton was now in charge of the plane. He responded immediately to this, grabbing the control column as he confirmed. Newsam reached down the side of her seat where the flight safety manual was stored. Turning nervously through the six hundred page book, she passed the correct document four times. Eventually, after calming herself down, she found the multiple engine failure section. She had seen this many times before in simulations. The difference… this wasn’t a simulation. Captain Hamilton had already begun descending the plane to an altitude of ten thousand feet. At this height an engine re-light had a greater possibility of being successful. 

First Officer Newsam began reading out the step by step instructions of the procedure. They were both focused. No detail was missed. All the vital components were checked. Captain Hamilton signalled for Newsam to being restarting the engines. Carefully she placed her left hand upon the throttle levers and pushed forwards, whilst her right hand was occupied with turning dials above her head which controlled fuel. Silence. Nothing could be heard. Only the expanding metal of the aircraft’s fuselage in the morning sun occasionally sounded every so often. 

A sickening feeling was stirring in Newsam’s mind. Surely this couldn’t be happening onboard her flight. Only this happened in movies. Captain Hamilton averted his gaze onto her. The sun was reflecting her ocean blue eyes which seemed to throw handfuls of hope towards him. Refocusing on the task at hand, he increased the flaps to give them more glide time. In both of their minds they knew that the plane would not reach LaGuardia airport. It would hit the coastline of New York… maybe even cause mass destruction within the city… Thousands would die. Newsam was distracted by her inner emotions. Her eyes were filling up with tears, tears so fierce that they would erupt down her cheeks at any given moment.