Hi everyone. A lot is still on my mind, but today, I’d like to write a lighthearted post. Thanks to John Holton, who provides the Writer’s Workshop prompts, I now have several ideas. One is to write about my first airplane trip. Let me share.
My first airplane trip was also my first trip abroad and my first vacation without my parents. It was a trip from Schiphol (Amsterdam) airport to Moscow on August 4, 2000. I was flying Aeroflot, a relatively okay Russian airline. Still, everyone clapped when the airplane landed successfully, something I recently found out stopped in the 1970s with Western airlines.
One thing I remember quite distinctly is the horrible pain in my ears and head in general during takeoff and landing. I haven’t flown in years, but the memories came back when my spouse reminded me about it, having had a similar experience on a recent airplane trip. Honestly, I can’t imagine people actually taking pictures while the plane is taking off or coming down.
I still did have a tiny amount of vision back in 2000, so remember looking at the clouds once the aircraft had fully risen.
I also to this day remember the film playing in the airplane. Not that I could understand any part of it, as it was in Russian, but my fellow travelers explained to me that it was called something like “I want to go to prison”. The plot revolved around a Russian character who had heard that, in Dutch prisons, inmates get their own TV etc. (something that isn’t exactly true, by the way), so he wanted to flee to the Netherlands even if it meant going to prison. I bet nowadays this film wouldn’t be considered appropriate.
A Multitude of Musings 
“On Aeroflot, inflight movie watches you!” I think now that the Soviet Union is no more, they’ve improved service considerably with newer planes and more stylishly-dressed flight attendants.
I was on a flight to South America, and when we landed everyone applauded. This was 1986 or so.
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Thank you for sharing your perspective. My spouse looked up the details of the improved safety of Aeroflot, but I can’t remember its exact standing in 2000.
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Sounds like you didn’t miss much by not understanding the movie. I think you deserved the applause for taking a risk on Aeroflot!
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I agree on both accounts. The charity that organized the trip, was located in both Russia and the Netherlands and, for this reason, it wasn’t me who made the choice to fly Aeroflot.
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Just as well!
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I think taking a first airplane ride is something we never forget. I know I was excited but nervous at the same time. I’m sorry you had trouble with your ears and head hurting. It bothered me a little, but finally cleared up. I hope the rest of your trip was fun. 🙂
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Thanks for sympathizing re my ears and head hurting. As for the rest of the trip, it was a truly, well, unforgettable experience, but not necessarily in a good way. Not in an explicitly traumatic way, but it did teach me some valuable life lessons. For one thing, as a multiply-disabled fourteen-year-old, I was much too vulnerable to go to a country like Russia without my parents for almost four weeks with all non-disabled fellow travelers, all of the teenage participants at least a year older than me and none of the staff older than late twenties.
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That is a long time to be away from home at that young age. I hope the other people you were with were helpful for you. Still, it sounded exciting to be on the trip! 🙂
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The other travelers weren’t really helpful, honestly. I did find some parts of the trip exciting though, particularly meeting some of the Russian people coming to the camp with us (the charity that organized the trip was located in both Russia and the Netherlands).
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My first (and only) round trip flight was just here in the US and not too far so it was a pretty small plane. Ran into a little turbulence and I wasn’t fond of that, but luckily had little trouble with take off and landing outside of the flutter of the tummy. Sorry the pressure changes bothered you so much. Do you plan to fly again if given the opportunity? I am not sure that I would. Too many safety issues in recent years.
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Oh, turbulence doesn’t sound fun. I’m glad we didn’t experience that on any of my airplane trips. No, I don’t think I’ll fly again unless I really have to. I mean, I don’t generally like traveling anyway and with the pressure changes and everything, flying is my least favorite method of traveling.
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It is funny the things we remember! I was 12 when I first got on a plane, to visit my aunt in the UK!
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Thanks for sharing, carol anne.
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