Aborted landings/Go-Arounds

[AdamC]

Hey,

Just wondering really how many of you have actually been in a go-around as a passenger on an aircraft.

The 3 I've had are particularly memorable as the aircraft decided to make a nice bank to the right giving us a nice view of the terminal at about 500ft..

I even remember the flight number, OHY419 - Onur Air.. Turkish airline, 3 aborted landings at Humberside (EGNJ).

I was extreamly scared, and so where the crew.. Thats what happens when lack of communication from the flight deck, between crew and passengers happens!

I actually found the airline very poor, and I would class the very little english of the crew a safety hazard.. Couldn't even understand the captain when he came on the PA saying "Sorry, winds are high we are diverting to Manchester"!

However, had I have understood at the time I think everyone would have been a little calmer.. If only he told us it was winds at first? - The cabin crew could have saved the tears.. When you see cabin crew running for sick bags and hearing them cry, it sets the passengers off! Yeah alright, I admit it.. I was crying aswell! - I really did think I was going to die though.

Anyway, hopefully you understand all that!

[MarlboroLite]

Going back some years, i was on an aborted landing at LHR on board a 747-400, Captain came over the speaker phone and blamed another aircraft for missing the exit turn on the runway. Nothing really exciting to be honest, but when that TO/GA button gets pressed (i assume) you certainly feel the power of 4 RB211's kick in!:E

Going back even further.... i was on 2 aborted take-offs onboard an Orion 737-200, i can't remember the reason given, nor did i care, because i was off on my happy holidays, and my mummy was holding my hand:} ( i was 6 years old at the time)

Also been on an aborted take-off onboard a Brittannia 737-200 out of Athens, again not really botherd, typical package holiday thing, 90 minutes on a ferry, then 3 hours on a coach, get to the airport, flights running 3hours late. get told by check-in that there aren't any seats left, take 40 minutes to find a rep, then by a miracle they suddenly find 3 seats... From what i can remember, the cabin crew were fantastic, both my parents were asleep, and a cc member, gave me 4 cans of schweppes lemonade and one of those plastic snap-fit models free of charge.

[apaddyinuk]

You have not lived until you have experienced a 744 go around from short finals! Better then any theme park ride!!!! :E

[MNBluestater]

Do you possibly think the flight deck had a few things to take care of ?? You have to complete the abort checklist, coordinate with ATC, and then set up the landing all over again following the procedure for that. Then throw in the weather, hand-flying and radio communications they had plenty on their hands.

The flight attendants, IMHO failed by not reacting calmly to the events. I have been through plenty of go-arounds, they happen and thank God they do. I'm sure some of them had gone through some of them also. A little overreacting if it really happened as you described.

[AdamC]

It takes a few seconds for an announcment just to say there are high winds and we are trying another approach..

Or at very least the CC could have said "The captain has aborted the landing, we will give you more information when we get it" or something like that..

You really had to be on the A/C to realise how scary it was, yeah and when we got to EGCC my dad had an asthmea attack and we had to get an ambulance to the A/C - Which proberbly made it more scary for me..

[BrummyGit]

I have to agree about this.

Some colleagues of mine were travelling with BA Connect Stuttgart -> Birmingham in an Embraer on 18th Jan when we had the big storms.

They had 3 aborted attempts at landing in Birmingham (I witnessed attempt 3 as they were half way down the runway at about 4m and "overshot" - BA's word) before being told by the pilot that they needed to divert to Manchester. They then had 2 attempts at getting down (luckily the second attempt was a good one) and were slightly surprised to find that they were on the ground at East Midlands instead.

During their flight the cabin crew apparently also looked scared and were being sick themselves, the flight ran out of sick bags and the CC stayed in their seats while one passenger was taken quite badly ill (sickness or panic attack) leaving the surrounding passengers to assist.

When I picked them up from East Mids they told me that they were appalled at the lack of information from the flight deck which had left them fearing the worst. By their account they were trying to land for about 2 hours in total and managed it on their 5 attempt and got about 2 messages from the captain. Non of us could actually believe that it was safe to be flying under those circumstances - what happens if you need to land ASAP due to a technical fault on the aircraft or a passenger illness?

I'm a regular, but very nervous, passenger and would have been terrified if I had been on this flight. I always find communication from the front seats to be a big relief - after take off I always watch for the intercom from the flight deck to release the cabin crew as this reassures me that all is OK.

I flew from Stuttgart to Amsterdam on 12th Jan with KLM in a Fokker 100. During the flight, and whilst the captain was giving his mid-point announcement the right hand engine (I was sitting alongside it) cut out totally for around 10 seconds before seemingly restarting - this happened twice about 5-10 minutes apart along with the associated lurch in the plane as the direction was affected, yet the captain told us nothing about it - I was very concerned and yet would have been bery pleased to hear an explanation - either good or bad about what had just happened. I was even more worried when that flight ended with a VERY rough approach and landing into Amsterdam where we were going from no real throttle to what must have been close to max just to keep in line and in the back of my mine were these unexpected engine cuts which if the happended again could have caused a serious problem during the final approach.

From a nervous PAX, my message is I would like as much information as often as possible as this is very comforting. Better to go over the top than not give enough IMHO

[shortm]

I have been cabin crew for the past 9 years and have experienced several go-arounds in my time.

I would just like to comment on a couple of the things which have been posted :-

AdamC - Onur Air is not a UK airline and therefore you can not expect them to have excellent English. The airline I work for is a large UK airline, when we fly to foreign countries we do not always have language speakers from that country onboard. If this is something that concerns you you should book with a UK airline.

According to our ops manual, in a go-around situation the cabin crew will not make any announcements until the captain has. How could the cabin crew say that it was a go-around - they don't know ?

The person who made a comment about it only taking a few seconds to make a PA - have you seen what it's like in the flight deck when they are making a go-around ? They really will make a PA at the first possible time. They will be assessing a number of things, communicating with air traffic etc

Sorry it's a bit of a rant, however it really is something that is quite a frequent occurance and pax really shouldn't worry. Unfortunately though it is one of those occassions when the operation of the aircraft itself has to come before customer service expectations.

[apaddyinuk]

Brummy.... Firstly, regardless of how serious or not a situation is, crew are still capable of developing air sickness in rocky weather, has happened me on one or two occasions at times when perhaps it was not appropriate (not that it ever is)!

Secondly, when you felt this engine "cut out" as you say, did you just sit there waiting for an announcement to be made or did you bring it to the attention of the cabin crew. Lets not forget the British Midland Kegworth disaster which perhaps could have been avoided if a passenger had brought something to the attention of the cabin crew!

[nicodemus31]

I was extreamly scared, and so where the crew.. Thats what happens when lack of communication from the flight deck, between crew and passengers happens!


Given that the above sentence could be interpreted in a variety of ways owing to the apparently random use of punctuation and spelling, I am surprised you feel that you are in a position to criticise others' use of English. Is English your first language?

Anyway, hopefully you understand all that!

Yes, you made your point without a trace of irony...:rolleyes:

[BrummyGit]

apaddyinuk

Brummy.... Firstly, regardless of how serious or not a situation is, crew are still capable of developing air sickness in rocky weather, has happened me on one or two occasions at times when perhaps it was not appropriate (not that it ever is)!

Yes, I agree. The point I was hoping to make was that it was such a bad flight that the PAX would have appreciated some calming words from the flight deck. I do think my colleagues were unhappy that an ill passenger that they believed had passed out for a few minutes did not receive any attention from the cc, but I wasn't on that flight to comment with authority.

Secondly, when you felt this engine "cut out" as you say, did you just sit there waiting for an announcement to be made or did you bring it to the attention of the cabin crew. Lets not forget the British Midland Kegworth disaster which perhaps could have been avoided if a passenger had brought something to the attention of the cabin crew!

I must admit that I didn't - but I think everyone on board spotted it as the noise dropped and you heard the engine spin down before spinning back up again, plus the plane changed direction momentarily as it happend (I guess the autopilot corrected it pretty quickly). Certainly the people sitting at the rear of the cabin were looking at each other as it happened and then the cabin crew disappeared behind drawn curtains at the font almost straight away so I guess they spotted it as well.

I don't know whether this is a common thing on a Fokker 100 as I rarely fly on them and I assumed it was noticeable enough for the crew in the font seats to have heard & felt it.

Maybe I should have said something - but the problem is I tend to feel that as a nervous passenger I am making too much of nothing.

[AdamC]

Given that the above sentence could be interpreted in a variety of ways owing to the apparently random use of punctuation and spelling, I am surprised you feel that you are in a position to criticise others' use of English. Is English your first language?

Sorry, I made a few mistakes.. Im 15, doesn't it happen to us all?

Im not going to argue about anything I said, my personal opinion is that the CC or flight deck crew should have made an announcment.. Before diverting, especially as the aircraft made a nice bank to the right on approach.

Shortm, I guess what you explained about the CC not making an PA before the captain is what happened onboard our flight, after the captain had said we where diverting the cabin crew said some muffled, PA about keeping calm (Yeah, not all the cabin crew where crying, just all but one or two!)

[nicodemus31]

AdamC

I apologise for the sarcastic tone of my post- lowest form of wit & all that... I hadn't noticed your age & I wouldn't have taken such a condescending approach had I done so. In actual fact, I think it's laudable that you clearly have opinions on such a subject & I applaud you for voicing them on a forum such as this.

Moreover, how unlucky are you to have experienced three go-arounds in 15 years? :)

Best wishes,

Nicodemus31

[AdamC]

No problem! :)

Yeah I guess it is rather unlucky! - However, that was back in the days when I didn't have a clue about anything aviation - Had it have been say a few months ago, then I would have proberbly laughed at the fact of 3 go-arounds and a diversion!

Adam.

[thepotato232]

I was sitting as a passenger in an A320 in Denver when we flew through a nacent microburst. That was an interesting ride - it's always fun to hear the engines spool up and not see the ground go any further away. Those 'Buses do have a hell of a climb rate when they need it. All things considered, I enjoy go-arounds much more when I have some say in how they turn out.

[Globaliser]

Just wondering really how many of you have actually been in a go-around as a passenger on an aircraft.Quite a few. When you've "been there, done that", the go-around is really pretty routine. I can imagine how, if the reason for it is adverse weather, the ride might be pretty uncomfortable - but it would almost certainly have been pretty uncomfortable even without a go-around, just for a shorter period.

The workload on the flight deck during and immediately after a go-around is pretty high. I think that we've had some previous threads here on go-arounds where pilots have explained in some detail all the work they have to do. Making announcements is a distraction from the task of safely managing and flying the aircraft.

I think that there's probably a better case to be made for a standard procedure in which the cabin crew make an announcement. It would have to be pretty anodyne, and wouldn't be able to give a reason - but at least it would be an opportunity to reassure the passengers that a go-around is a perfectly normal and routine thing. For those passengers who want to listen, of course; there are always going to be those who are convinced that they are in mortal danger every moment that they're in the air.

[pulse1]

The only time I have experienced a go around was in a Dan Air 748 at Birmingham. As we climbed I looked down and saw a light twin had landed on the cross runway. As I was watching this a female voice from the cockpit apologised and explained the reason. It was only then that many of the business men on board realised we had a lady captain. When the new passengers joined us for the ongoing flight to Newcastle, you could hear them being told that we had a lady driver. I guess that, in those days, it was quite rare.

The most interesting part for me was that the cockpit door came open during the go around and, from well down the back, I could see something of the horizon during the subsequent, tight visual (presumably) circuit. From that position changes in attitude seem greatly exaggerated and it looked more like one of my untidy circuits. However, the excellent landing on the numbers showed it was a good bit of flying.

[PAXboy]

I am soooo disappointed ... 40 years of paxing through hundreds of sectors, dozens of a/c types and not one single GA. :(

Just where is the justice in that? :mad:

I wanna feel that 744 TOGA and I wannit Now. :p

[apaddyinuk]

Just something for all the SLF here reading this that has come to my attention...

If you feel/hear or see something out of the ordinary...DO NOT...i repeat DO NOT keep it to yourself. Grab the attention of one of the cabin crew and simply describe what ever it was to them. Do not assume that the pilots are aware of it because that is not always the case. It could actually be the factor that prevents the pilots shutting down a healthy engine etc etc!

[teleport]

Experienced a handful.
From top of memory:
747 VS into LAX - long silence then explanation about config/conditions not quite right, so TO/GA

A320 Iberia recently into Madrid - long way round: passengers gettting nervous about missing connecting flights - explanation about plane not vacating runway

[stevef]

Around August 95, very short finals to Gaborone (Botswana) on a BA 747. The crew carried out a go-around and and announced something like: 'Sorry, we had to throw that approach away as you noticed, but we'll have you back on the ground very shortly.' as we were climbing out.
Top marks for keeping the pax informed during what must have been a busy time on the flight deck.

[Gouabafla]

I'm with PaxBoy on this one. I spend far too much of my life inside aluminium tubes but I've never once had a GA. Mind you, I'll happily keep it that way too.

[PAXboy]

Gou I think that what you mean is .. "I want to be picky and have the good GAs and not the ones that are too bumpy or in really bad weather. Oh yes, could I also be in a nice window seat, on the correct side to be able to look down at the field from 90 degrees(!) Thank you for your help and where shall I book?" :}

Hey!!! Here is a gap in the market. Sell tickets for multiple GAs!
Line up on the black stuff and then BooosH
Then do it again. and again. That roller coaster ride will bring in the money - forget about going to the edge of space for half a million, just a couple of hundred for a couple of GAs. Dang - I'm a genius. :cool:

[teleport]

and CO2 emissions?

[EDIspotter]

Been involved in 4 go arounds, all on TCX757s in May 2006.

Fog at Zakynthos meant 2 aborted approaches and a diversion to Athens. Once on the ground at Athens, we refuelled, waited an hour, then had another attempt.

This time thick, low cloud cover meant the pilot couldnt see the runway, and the risk of getting below the clouds and not being lined up was too great, so after a couple of attempts, it was back to Athens again. On the final approach, there were a few tears and tantrums from pax, including some appalling comments from folk near the front, who were more concerned about losing a few hours of their holiday then their lives....

Full marks to the crew for trying before their hours ran out, and we were kept well informed.

[foxile]

A few years ago, returning into EMA on a Monday morning from a heavy weekend in Dublin, as the GF of the time was working there, I was on a BM Fokker 70 and we had 2 GAs because of because of very low cloud / poor vis /rain wind etc... Bloody awful in fact going down the M1 afterwards. Only one glimpse of the ground on the first attempt, the Piano Keys, just as power was being applied.
I still remember thinking, after the second attempt (forgive me guys & gals I'm a mere PAX), isn't it the third time it all goes wrong? Please... feel free to div to BHX!!!
Anyhow, needless to say, we all did arrive and safe and sound, and without a murmur throughout from any of the PAX. Perhaps they too were nursing horrendous hangovers...
Well impressed with the fellas at the sharp end. Cheers guys :D

[TheGorrilla]

Chaps. Go arounds are normally flown because it's a good idea. The best analogy I can give you is a fast bowler to a batsman being fielded by silly mid off. Hit the buttons low level in a light weight twin-jet and things go b&ggering off exit stage up goddarn quick. Great fun...... ! However regaining a sensible flightpath afterwards is the hardest bit (autopilot flight direcftor, flaps, gear, composure..) :\ Hence long periods of silence from the front following a G/A is quite normal. I've done several, I think trying to explain it away is the worst bit!!

[Final 3 Greens]

Experienced three as a pax over the past 20 years.

BAC 1-11 at Birmingham
L1011 (TriStar) at Heathrow
BAe 146 at London City (briefly touched down during the manouevre)

And I've done a few as pilot of small aeroplanes, usually because the aircraft that landed ahead had not cleared (turned off) the runway.

I guess if you are an inexperienced pax, then it can be a bit sudden and unexpected and if the aeroplane is bouncing all around in winds, that doesn't help either.

In a way, a privilege to witness the performance of a modern jet transport aircraft and the impressive rate of climb and acceleration :)

Its the high speed rejected takeoffs that you don't really wish to be around.

[VC10Conway]

There seems to be a trend to have experienced three go-arounds... and here are my three...
- Dan Air 1-11 at LGW
- Atlas Blue 737 at LGW
- Malaysian AL 747 at LHR
Only once was any explanation given and that was the Dan Air one (another a/c hadn't cleared the runway). It is a bit disconcerting, but let's face it, happens all the time.

[AdamC]

Watching and listening to a video I found on youtube, incidently a planned go around with flight deck commentry you can hear how busy it is up the pointy end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNaCjjkSMc8

[Pax Vobiscum]

Only two in 20 years:
BA Tristar at CDG - runway not clear
BA 767 at Glasgow - wind gusting outside crosswind limits

I'd echo F3G's thoughts - both about impressive performance (a lightly loaded 757/767 is best for this :D ) and also that an RTO

Royal Jordanian Tristar at Amman - erroneous cargo door warning light

tends to get the heart rate up.

[Haven't a clue]

BA 747-400 Kai Tak 13 chequerboard approach in low cloud/mist. Saw the cranes and buildings briefly then the turn to the right shortly followed by full power, nose going up, noise of gear going up etc. The cabin went quiet. Very quiet.

After a few minutes the Captain came on the PA with a suitably reassuring message delivered in the usual unhurried and calm manner. Then round again, and this time a perfect landing.

I miss that approach!

Had enjoyed an RTO in a 146 on the IoM's short runway on the same trip....again a non event for those up front.

[Final 3 Greens]

Haven't a Clue

Had enjoyed an RTO in a 146 on the IoM's short runway on the same trip....again a non event for those up front.

As I understand it, the speed and timing of an RTO can make it either a non event or very much an event for the drivers, perhaps a line pilot would like to comment?

[Doors to Automatic]

I have also had the customary 3 go-arounds:

1. British Midland DC-9 at EDI - reason given as aircraft in front not vacated but it was an incredibly windy day, both approaches were exceptionally rough, pax being sick etc. Everyone very relieved to be on terra firma!

2. British Midland 737 at LHR - night landing on 27R abandoned over Hatton Cross tube due aircraft not vacated; a non-event

3. Easyjet 737 at GVA - dramatic go-around as aircraft entered the flare - reason given as cabin not secure but I found that very suspect as we were only 20-30ft above the runway.

[Avman]

BrumGit, the engine ´cut-out´ you refer to is quite common on the Fk-70/100 family, especially when sitting at the back next to it. It´s not actually cutting out at all, just the thrust being reduced for descent and added again when levelling off. For some odd reason (the technicalities of which I´m not au fait with) it´s just a lot more noticeable on the Fokkers than other jets. In rough weather there can be numerous thrust adjustments and you will experience what you explained. Unfortunately, at such times the FD crew are probably far too busy to have a friendly little chat with the pax. So, next time rest assured that it´s all quite normal.

My last GA was on a DELTA B727 at Atlanta at about 1000 ft. Rather than execute a standard type GA and get vectored all around the Atlanta skies, we just climbed back to circuit altitude,made a slow and tight left orbit and rejoined for finals! Great fun on a B727. Captain explained that we had been to close to the preceeding - and fortunately there was nothing behind us on our runway.

[A Very Civil Pilot]

. Easyjet 737 at GVA - dramatic go-around as aircraft entered the flare - reason given as cabin not secure but I found that very suspect as we were only 20-30ft above the runway.
Yesterday 19:01

The seatbelt signs go on at about 10 ten minutes to go giving the cc enough time to secure the cabin. If we get a short cut from ATC it might mean that the cabin is not quite secure in time. depending on the day, you can leave it as long as you dare, but if there is no secure by crossing the threshold - go around.
As I understand it, the speed and timing of an RTO can make it either a non event or very much an event for the drivers, perhaps a line pilot would like to comment?
The closer it is to V1, the hairier it is! Generally we will stop for anything below 80 kt, but between 80 and V1 we'll be looking out for engine fire, confirmed engine failure, runway obstruction and control malfunction. The closer you get to V1 the more sure you have to be that there is a better reason for stopping, and not continuing the take-off.
I still remember thinking, after the second attempt (forgive me guys & gals I'm a mere PAX), isn't it the third time it all goes wrong? Please... feel free to div to BHX!!!

Generally if it's a weather problem, you can make two approaches before needing to divert to your alternate. A third can be made if there is a reasonable certainty that the weather is improving and a successful landing can be made (that's in our operations manual anyway)
They had 3 aborted attempts at landing in Birmingham (I witnessed attempt 3 as they were half way down the runway at about 4m and "overshot" - BA's word) before being told by the pilot that they needed to divert to Manchester. They then had 2 attempts at getting down (luckily the second attempt was a good one) and were slightly surprised to find that they were on the ground at East Midlands instead.

Sounds like one hell of a night. Unfortunately the workload becomes astronomical; calls to ATC, getting weather updates, calls to company for diversion preferences, fuel calculations, weather avoidance etc - that a simple pa to the pax really gets put to the bottom of the list. Sorry, but flying the plane comes above the niceties.

[Cavallier]

Had my first one as flight crew earlier this month in Shanghai. My fault entirely as I became destabalised at about 100 feet with a stonking crosswind.
Most guys I fly with average about one a year.

cheers,
The Cav:cool:

[BrummyGit]

Avman

Thanks for the reassuring words, however I'm sure this one was different to the scenario you describe. We were mid-cruise and there was no change in altitude for a number of minutes before or after so I do not think that it was simply descending.

The 1st time it was midway through the pilot's PA to pax so again it wasn't too busy at the time.

And lastly it was definitely only 1 engine which dropped it's speed right back - and the immediate directional change which was almost as quickly corrected also seems (to a mere SLF) to indicate a thrust imbalance betwen the two engines.

However the same KLM Fokker must be still flying as it hasn't been in the news since that they made a smoking hole anywhere, so it was obviously a non-event. But that didn't help me at the time.

Steve

[foxile]

A Very Civil Pilot

Interesting post, thanks for that.

[BaronChotzinoff]

Only on one once, EZY coming into Luton where there was unwonted static fog on the runway area, made 3 attempts then diverted to EMA. This suited me fine as I was travelling to Brum, but I was surprised that pilots needed "a clear view of the runway" as it was a calm day and they must be trained to do zero-zero landings. He'd taken on plenty of extra fuel.

I also saw a KLM jet abort at BHX, probably because there was still a plane just turning off the runway.

[SnoggingTarmac]

I was in a go-round coming into a Swiss airport early last year. As a highly-strung and greenish SLF, I was lucky to be sitting next to a commercial pilot. He looked up, snorted something about "Turks parked on the runway again" and went back to his book.

No panic apparent from CC or pax and all went smoothly next time round. No explanation was offered, but think I'd have been worried if the pointy-enders had stopped what they were doing to have a chat.

[paulc]

Only 1 GA for me (so far) Delta 767 from ATL to MIA - departing aircraft (Air Jamaica A320) on runway was reluctant to go so up we went - just as Air Jam starting rolling. (looked close(ish) from the ground according to friends (one of whom was ATC at West Drayton at the time)

Have been in reverse situation ie - been sat on the aircraft lined up and ready to go, lot of noise and the shadow of a 737 goes over the top. (Sat on a MAS 737 at Jakarta)

[MyData]

If you want the GA experience then get yourself on flights into LBA at this time of year.

Had one earlier this week, the BMI 2040 LHR->LBA on Monday evening. Breaking through the clouds for R14 I thought we were getting very low before seeing the ground. Then whey hey! Full power and time for a GA. Crew were fine, made the annoucement as we climbed up then the flight deck came on to explain that the landing ahead of us hadn't cleared the runway and there would be another 5 mins as we tried again. Phew, I wasn't looking forward to another diversion to MAN (which is a risk we run with at LBA this time of year).

I think that's my 3rd GA at LBA. A few years ago the captain made 3 landing attempts before getting through a gap in the clouds. The other time we couldn't get a gap and had to divert to MAN :-(

Have also had one at LGW on BA. Again, the aircraft ahead was slow on departing the runway.

[Sobelena]

Aaah, there's nothing better than "a gap in the clouds" eh Hoskins :E

[Middle Seat]

of 748 flights in my log sheet, I've had two go arounds.

First was AA on approach to DCA. Its been a number of years, I don't recall if it was in an F100 or an MD80. In any case, I recall the sudden surge and lift upward. Shortly thereafter, the pilot came on and said someone missed an exit and was still on the runway. 20 minutes later, on the ground no problems

Second was recently on Virgin Blue into ADL. Very windy afternoon, and it looked as if we were going to land, but at about 100 or so feet up the pilot pulled up and the first officer came on board and said conditions weren't right, and we went around and then landed. It was very windy, and I recall thinking, "Gee, its taking awhile for the front end to come down." Eventually it did of course, and the flaps were deployed. I don't ever recall flaps being deployed that long on a 737-700 that I've been on, and I actually thought "Hmm, I wonder if we're going to eat grass" I haven't a clue how long the runways are or how much we had left, but I was ready to open the Delorian exit door and be the first out. :E

Now that I've experienced that, I'd like an aborted takeoff, please. :}

I also want to jump down an escape slide. Its kinda like wanting to see a tornado in person.

[Cleared Visual]

Back in 2004 was on a Qantaslink (Eastern) Dash 8 flight from Sydney to Moree with a stop in Narrabri. Bumpy ride out of Sydney, cloud cover the whole way. Pilot configured for landing and attempted to establish approach at Narrabri, but as we broke through the cloud cover, aircraft pitched up sharply and power was increased. Very impressed by Capt's prompt announcement once we'd gained some altitude that we had aborted the approach as he had been "unable to see the runway above the minimum safe altitude", so we discontinued. CC, well one FA, pregnant at the time, remained very calm throughout, and very reassuring to distressed passengers following the subsequent bumpy, but successful approach.

After spending some time on the ground (the crew advised they were waiting for instructions from the company as to if they should continue to Moree), we took off again before the F/A had finished the safety breif, and once again the Capt. promptly advised that we had taken advantage of a gap in the weather, but that we had enough fuel for one attempt at Moree, and if he couldn't see the runway we would divert to Tamworth. Fortunately, after a few low circuits over the airport, we landed on the first attempt. Was very impressed at the level of information given to us by that crew, and as i was travelling with my mother, a nervous flyer at the best of times, it was very reassuring that the crew had done everything possible to keep us calm, happy and informed. Only heard one pax whinging about the late arrival, of roughly 25 on board!

On another note, I have been in 3 rejected take-offs in a C206, but that was with a full load, on a very short strip!

[TightSlot]

I also want to jump down an escape slide

Trust me - you don't - not really... :)

[geraintw]

We usually spend the summer in Greece flying into JMK, before staying or sailing elsewhere. Have had 4 go arounds there in a 737 and 757 in the last few years (which I quite enjoy as you get a good view of the island) because of the strong northerly winds plus, I suspect the mountains around the end of 34 must cause some problems.

Always impresses me how the crew get us down on the ground, which knowing the airport must be a fantastic piece of hand flying. I remember one year, after going around we came in for a second attempt and we seemed to float and float and eventually touched down as we were about to pass the terminal building - the pilot braked so hard we thought we were going to finish the flight in the cockpit! One of the few times i've twitched nervously :)

[840]

I've had three

An Aer Lingus 737 into Cork (southerly approach) in bad visibility where the pilot decided he was landing too far down the runway

An Aer Lingus A320 into Cork (northerly approach). This one was odd. On the first approach, the aircraft seemed to be making constant adjustments causing considerable nervousness among the passengers. The second approach couldn't have been smoother. There were no announcements and no obvious weather reasons.

A Ryanair 737 into Dublin. Again there were no announcements, but there were fairy severe winds at the time.


I also had one incident when I was expecting one where I didn't get it. On an A340 into Amsterdam, the aircraft seemed to be lining up to come down a bit shorty of the runway. We came down to around the height of a four storey building and I was saying to myself "Here comes a go-around". Sure enough, the engines fired up, but only enough for the aircraft to maintain height and then it was brought down successfully onto the runwaya few hundred metres further on.

[GrahamB73]

I had my first the day before yesterday on an EasyJet Airbus 319 (I think) into LGW from Valencia. Wasn't nearly as hairy as I thought, though I suspect it was quite an early abort (I tend to have my nose buried in a book or puzzle to keep my mind occupied and rarely look out the window).

The CC immediately announced that it was SOP for all kinds of reasons and not to worry, then once we were back up and circling, the captain came on and cited "operational reasons" :D

Unfortunately the plane was already an hour behind schedule and the GA added the vital minutes that meant we missed our next flight to Edinburgh - checkin closed 5 minutes before we got to the desk. That's not to say I don't appreciate there was a bloody good reason for the GA, of course, whatever it may have been :D

Round of applause when we did get on the deck which was amusing :)

[pax britanica]

Quite a lot of flights but not as many as some here I am sure so perhaps i should feel priveleged or alarmed having been through ten. Impression each time was no real drama. Although the AMS approachw as rough and I could clearly see the rwy lights from my window due to crab angle and the Bermuda one was very very rough-place to avoid in mid winter if you dont like scary turbulence all the way down the approach.

The 747s were amazing just that magic RB211 spool up growl and effortless soaring away from the ground real power. The MD 80s were cool too- amazing take off deck angle even normally and real rocket ships on a go around.

I rather liked all of them actually except the Atlanta ones but that was because I knew if we didnt land off the second approach I was stranded there for 24 hours


BA747-200 Nairobi-- No rwy in sight at decision height-oddly enough Icould see the ground pretty clearly sitting just in from of wing and maybe I supoose 30 ft below the pilots


BA747 200 LHR-- ac not vacating

BA 747 400 JFK-getting too close to guy in front on short finals


DL737 200 Fog at ATL-- 2 missed apps divert to Chatanooga


BA 777 Storm windhear warming at ATL divert to Charlotte


Eastern 727 kindley field Bermuda windshear on finals


KLM 737 -400? AMS Windshear finals


BA767-300 Rome Crosswind out of limits


SK MD80 Brussells -traffic seperation


SK - MD 80 Arlanda - low altitude fog

[Bushfiva]

Many years ago, 747 into Moscow in a snowstorm. Looks like we are flying through milk. Plain suddenly climbs and banks left as what appear to be the runway lights come into view, also on the left. Some cabin crew and passengers scream. We circle for about 2 hours then come in for an extraordinarily bumpy landing. A few hours later, we land at LGW (may have been LHR) as though the pilot is landing an apartment block he no longer needs. A very thought-provoking flight indeed.

Also did a flight from LAX to NRT which took something like 30 hours instead of 9, including 2 attempts to get off the ground at LAX followed by a low, wheels-down flight up to SeaTac, sitting on the aircraft there for several hours before being bussed to a motel overnight.

Then there's been a couple of GAs at LBA, but everyone seems to have a couple of them!

[Gertcha]

I had my first on 5 March, LH 321 FRA-LHR. Very bumby coming in over London with the aircraft moving about on all axes, I had a feeling it may happen. Not sure how far off the ground we were but the TOGA button was pushed and up we went again. Aircraft was made clean and we went round. Captain advised we had a windshear warning. Second attempt approach was just as bad but managed to make it down this time. Small round of applause from some pax. There were some pale faces getting off that flight. Mine wasn't one of them!

[Gonzo]

I saw that one from the tower....looked interesting! :eek:

[Habster]

First one for me in 30 years of flying around europe, north america and the sth pacific was at SFO.
One of the benefits of flying UA is the channel allowing you to listen to the cockpit audio.As a self proclaimed geek I was listening in on final approach arriving last Sept from Denver. At the same time arriving on a parallel runway, was a a SQ 777. It was a rush to feel our aircraft's engines kick in and pull us out of there. You could sense a slight sense of urgency leading up to our go around. All was explained in the aftermath and it was albeit a tad exciting for this white knuckle flyer

[BrummyGit]

One of the benefits of flying UA is the channel allowing you to listen to the cockpit audio.


What a great idea, if only all airlines did this. This SLF would love that and would probably get over my nervous flying.

[TopBunk]

The VHF feed to the 'entertainment' channel would be switched off on any flight I am captain of should my airline ever decide to provide this feature.

I am not there to provide entertainment for passenger amusement. The same would go for any external video cameras.

Just think it through, the captain would always be given the sanction of turning the feeds off. If it is switched on, for 99% of the flights from engine start to shutdown, but switched off for 1% due to technical problems or weather conditions not for public consumption, what would a nervous passenger think when it was switched off? OMG, we are going to die? Much better that it is not switched on to start with, imho. Ignorance is bliss.

[BackPacker]

"I also had one incident when I was expecting one where I didn't get it. On an A340 into Amsterdam, the aircraft seemed to be lining up to come down a bit shorty of the runway. We came down to around the height of a four storey building and I was saying to myself "Here comes a go-around". Sure enough, the engines fired up, but only enough for the aircraft to maintain height and then it was brought down successfully onto the runwaya few hundred metres further on."

840, was it, by any chance, a very windy day with winds blowing from the southwest? 'cause in that case they sometimes use R/W 24 for landing, but this R/W does not have an ILS in that direction. So they use the ILS of R/W 22, then "circle to land" (actually a 20 degree right turn and a bit of power since 24 starts more or less at the end of 22) on 24.

BTW R/W 22 is only 2000 meters so it's only used for GA, BizJets, small commuters and the occasional 737, if the winds are OK. R/W 24 is 3500 meters so is suitable for the big iron.

[TopBunk]

Backpacker

Interesting viewpoint re strong SW winds at AMS.

My experience of flying in there over 100 times over the past 17 years or so is that I have only ever landed on the short runway 22 once, and never on 24.

This despite the fact that when the winds are strong, the are frequently from that direction. I had been told that this was due to the local noise lobby determining the operational policy rather than airmanship.

My experience is that they will frequently use runways 27 and 19R as was (and now the new polderdam? 18R) with sizeable crosswinds for arrivals and 24 for departures.

The turbulence onto 27 especially in strong SW winds is quite pronounced
...

[BrummyGit]

Just think it through, the captain would always be given the sanction of turning the feeds off. If it is switched on, for 99% of the flights from engine start to shutdown, but switched off for 1% due to technical problems or weather conditions not for public consumption, what would a nervous passenger think when it was switched off? OMG, we are going to die? Much better that it is not switched on to start with, imho. Ignorance is bliss.

Why should it ever be turned off?

Remember that we are paying customers who are putting our trust in your airline to transport us safely from A to B. Why should any weather conditions or other situation warrant the pax being left in the dark? If a situation is ever anything less than 100% safe why shouldn't I as a passenger have the right to know?

If a pilot is not doing anything wrong, why have anything to hide? If you are breaking any rules then surely you need to consider having the rules changed rather than breaking them as this is the start of a slippery slope?

Please remember that whilst sitting at the front you know exactly what is going on, further back there are many very nervous pax who imagine all sorts of events and situations. I am one of those and it is quite easy to adopt the "OMG we're all going to die" mindset for no real reason anyway. The lack of knowledge about what is going on is often the cause of this.

[TightSlot]

The suggestion to switch off a system at certain times is not related to your 'right to know' - when it comes to listening in to the comms, you have no rights: Sorry to be so blunt.

An airline chooses to install a system for your entertainment: It also chooses the content and availability, just as on any other IFE channel. You have no 'right' to access IFE information, although if the IFE is unavailable on any given sector, you have the right to complain to an airline.

The issue, anyway, is not about an intention to keep you, or anybody else 'in the dark'. The issue is that an event, which may be un-challenging to those trained to fly, may be perceived as being something worse than it actually is by those who are not. Your personal experience level may be quite high, but that may not be the case for others, and this will inevitably mean that there will be varying levels of apprehension. Your desire for visibility of the proceedings may not be matched by others. Besides, once in posession of your own (probably faulty) assesment of the ongoing event - what are you going to do with it? Offer advice? Assist in some way? Phone your lawyer?

:confused:

[BrummyGit]

I am not sure I would want my whole working day monitored, so I have sympathy on that point, but IF an airline decides it wishes to provide this service to its customers then they have given me the right to listen and removed your right to privacy - the gripe would be with them.

I think the crew need to take a look at their superiority complexes which lead them to believe it is nothing to do with the pax. This smacks of the old days when the F/O was not allowed to question to Pilot's decisions and how many accidents resulted from that? I was reminded of the Kegworth disaster in a post recently and advised to always mention to the cabin crew if I thought there may be a problem with the aircraft - maybe if the pax had heard the cockpit audio and seen that the wrong engine was being shutdown, that whole disaster could have been averted? Perhaps a very experienced aviator is on board and may be able to assist if there is a problem on a flight - I remember a flight that crashed in the US many years ago where a pax turned out to be a pilot who assisted in operating the throttles when things went bad. There could be situations where we would have an input, but these are rare cases and of course I wouldn't be phoning my lawyer from on-board.

On the other hand I can accept that some pax may react badly to listening to information that they don't understand, and that those listening would have a responsibility to deal with what they hear correctly. As with TV etc, those who don't wish to listen can turn off.

[BackPacker]

TB, I checked the AIP and I could find no reference anymore to the procedure where you use the ILS 22 to land on 24. Perhaps it was indeed removed as an official procedure for noise reasons. I don't know. It is true that the ILS 22 takes planes more or less over the center of Amsterdam. OTOH - in a storm who's going to hear an aircraft overhead at 2000'?

Another reason might indeed be that now that the Polderbaan (18R/36L) is open, this runway is favoured above all others due to noise pollution reasons - although I know quite a few people living near the 18R approach path that do not agree...

BTW at or about the same time the Polderbaan (18R/36L) was commissioned, the earths magnetic field apparently had shifted so much that they also renamed the other two N/S runways. We now have 18R/36L (Polderbaan), 18C/36C (Zwanenburgbaan), 18L/36R (Aalsmeerbaan), 06/24 (Kaagbaan), 09/27 (Buitenveldertbaan or Bulderbaan) and 04/22 (Schiphol Oost baan).

[pacer142]

I am not there to provide entertainment for passenger amusement. The same would go for any external video cameras.


I understand why you wouldn't want yourself being listened to, and that's your choice - but external cameras - why? Do you also ask your pax to close the window blinds at all times?


Ignorance is bliss.


Depends on the individual. My way of coping with bad things (should they happen) is that I like to know as much as possible about what situation I'm in and how bad it is, such that I can plan a decent way out of it, if at all possible. I don't like to stick my head in the sand. I am aware opinion is polarised on this, however...

[seacue]

I haven't been on United Airlines in many a year. Back when I rode them more frequently I found that "Channel 9", the ATC channel, was activated only about half the time.

Back to the subject of this thread, I rode what I think is my first go around in over 50 years of air travel on March 10. We were approaching Cleveland KCLE in very dense clouds. I couldn't see the wingtip it was so thick. Eventually we went back up. On the second approach we broke out of the clouds at a few hundred feet altitude. The route of my flight shown on Fl***tAw**e showed a one-loop holding pattern just before the airport. That flight/number was replaced the next day when the USA went on Summer Time (DST).

[TopBunk]

Backpacker

I didn't mention that procedure:}.

What I said was that I had only once ever landed on rwy 22 in over 100 visits and never on rwy 24.

Maybe you are thinking of another post.

[TopBunk]

Brummygit

I am not sure I would want my whole working day monitored, so I have sympathy on that point, but IF an airline decides it wishes to provide this service to its customers then they have given me the right to listen and removed your right to privacy - the gripe would be with them.

No, that haven't. They have provided me with the option to activate the feed, just in the same way that they give me control of the seatbelt signs. I decide what you can hear in the same way as I decide when you can move about the cabin and when hot drinks can be served.

My working day is already monitored more intensely than you probably realise - every second of every flight is replayed by the company to ensure procedures are followed and the aircraft is operated within all limits, so don't tell me about aircrew 'superiority'.

What I do not think is prudent is for untrained ears to put 2 and 2 together and come up with 5 with only 10% of the available information at their fingertips. We all know how quick people are to ring up the press with often unproven sensational stories that damage individuals and companies.

My take on a live ATC feed is that it is something dreamt up by marketing teams as a gimick - I repeat, it will never be enabled on any flight I command. If you don't like that - tough!

[BrummyGit]

As pacer142 said - this subject is very polarised and so rather than degenerate this thread into an argument I think I'll back away from further inflaming the situation.

I do miss the pre-9/11 days however. I got invited to ride in the jump seat of a Sabena 146 from just after take off from Brussels until after landing at BHX one time, and many flights used to leave to cockpit door open for the duration of the flight. This was all very comforting for a nervous flyer and these days of locked and bolted cockpit doors are much less fun for the white knuckle riders amongst us. Sadly those days appear to be gone forever.

[frequentflyer2]

My first experience of a go-around was in November 1984 when returning to BFS from LGW with the future Mrs. Frequentflyer on a Dan Air 1/11.
As I remember it took four attempts to land because of fog over the runway and the pilot came on the intercom to tell us he was 'embarrassed' to say a British Midland DC9 had managed to get in between our attempts.
He also said if he couldn't do it we would have to divert to DUB.
As we descended again only to power up and climb back into the sky I can remember the woman sitting behind me saying: "Oh please. Just go to Dublin."
I had no more experience of go arounds until a few years ago when Mrs. Frequentflyer and I were on board an Embraer 145 travelling from BHD to MAN.
During the final stages of the descent over Stockport the plane lurched violently from side to side. The first lurch meant we were looking down the wing at the ground and less than a second later, or so it seemed, we were looking up the wing at the sky.
The pilot immediately accelerated and climbed before telling us we had encountered the wake vortex of a much larger aircraft.
On Christmas Eve 1997 we were approaching Manchester in an ATP in the roughest flying I've ever experienced.
I went so far as to warn Mrs. Frequentflyer a go-around was a strong possibility but when it actually came to landing we hardly felt the wheels touch the ground.

[G-AVIN]

Top Bunk,
I agree with your attitude to the live feed,the vast majority of SLF are (in my experience) at least slightly nervous and to have one listening to the live feed and spreading possible panic is the last thing we all need.
Regarding the cameras am I right in thinking that generally during takeoff and landing the films/TV would be off anyway so also would an external camera view ?



Gavin (SLF)

[Middle Seat]

I can only comment based what I've seen/heard in my flying. The only external camera's I've seen used are on SAS. Cameras were generally on forward facing during takeoff and landing.

As for Untied's channel 9. I'm not sure what people are assuming it is or isn't, but if I recall correctly, its just whatever ATC the pilots are communicating with, and their responses. On occasion you'll hear other pilots reading back instructions, that's about it. Any other communication .. such as those within the cockpit, or if a pilot were to contact the company are not included.

Most of the time UA pilots will make it available. Some will turn it off for takeoff and landing. Frankly, its not very entertaining most of the time...particularly over the Pacific at 4am local time.

[SnoggingTarmac]

I've flown JAL long-haul a few times and the external camera has always been on for the whole flight - including landing - right up to the point where we're parked at the terminal. As stated, pretty tedious during the flight but great fun when coming into Kansai, low over the water. They even display it on the main cabin screens during landing, so you don't have to go looking for it.


Don't see the problem myself, but I'm happy to let El Capitano have the final call if he's agin it. I'd rather be flown by a comfortable and non-tetchy pilot any day. :)

[Rush2112]

I had it happen once on a flight from CGK into SIN on an SIA 777. Just as we came into land, and I think the wheels made contact, the engines suddenly roared and back up we went, much to my surprise!

Fairly quickly the Captain came on and said very calmly that a strong tailwind had blown up as we were landing that was too strong for that type of aircraft to land in, so we would have to go around.

Luckily I was in Raffles Class so the guy I was sitting next to and I called for a drink to calm our nerves...

[johnezy]

as a cabin crew member i have flown with easyjet for just over a year, last summer we were coming in to land at AGP (malaga) and had to do a go around at 80ft (or so the pilots said!) we were immediately pushed into our seats as the plane powered up and gained height then lifted off our seats as they straightened out. It took a little while for us to realise what was going on but we were soon aware of what happened.
The main thing we have to do in this situation is re-assure the passengers sat around us and the purser has to make a PA to tell everyone of what has happened. Once the pilots are in a possition to do so they also make a PA tell confirm what has happened and why. In this case there was another aircraft on the radio, speaking in spanish and our pilots couldn't get a word in edgeways to ask for clearence to land, so at 80ft they had to abort the landing. They then telephoned us to check that we were ok and ask how the passengers were.
The weird thing is on disembarkation none of the passengers believed why we had to go around they all thought that there was something wrong with the aircraft, some of them even blaming easyjet for it!! but for me i found it quite exciting, like being on a roller coaster! The aircraft (as i see quite alot of people here always like to know!) was a B737-700:ok:

[PAXboy]

johnezy thought that there was something wrong with the aircraft, some of them even blaming easyjet for it!!That sums it all up! On almost any day the pax are gonna blame the carrier and the staff that they can see in front of them. :rolleyes:

[johnezy]

yeah this is very true, and don't i know it lol! still not bad over 650 flights and only 1 go around! you'd think that flying that much i would have more stories lol!

[ThreadBaron]

Two in one flight being trooped into Aldergrove by VC10 many, many (but not too many!!) years ago. I only remember much bouncing and battering rain very close to the deck. A remarkable ride which ended with a greaser. More fun than DisneyWorld.:}

[SnoggingTarmac]

On almost any day the pax are gonna blame the carrier and the staff that they can see in front of them.


That's true of any industry though - you blame the person who is most visible. I work in I.T. and the Helpdesk get sworn at for everything from mains power failures to the cleaner unplugging a PC to use her vacuum cleaner (part of my job is to try and make abusive callers apologise, so they don't always get away with it! :ok: ).

Who amongst us has not at least felt the urge to rip into some call centre's cold-calling lackey, after being dragged from the bath by a ringing phone?

It's an unfortunate fact that any kind of customer-facing role will mean absorbing a lot of sh1te that isn't strictly "ours".

[cdb]

Dear Topbunk
Be glad you have the choice about your RT being monitored by your customers! As a controller, I can see spotters from the tower every day, scanners poking out of their anoraks. On my way home, I've passed them and heard them discussing how they would have done things better...

[pumaknight]

35 years of flying - about 10-20 flights per year (on average) and I have my first go around coming into Belfast in early Decemebr 2006. Wasn't really a suprise given the lead up to it.

Easyjet 737-700 Luton to Belfast, short hop between cities. It is never a really smooth flight given the route, especially in the winter. Take off is choppy and as they always seem to go up to FL410, the aircraft bumps between transition layers (hope that is the right term). And the landings - well, smooth is not a word you would use for BFS!!

This flight was going to prove that to the max.

The Captain asked the cabin crew to prepare for landing early as he was expecting "a really bumpy ride for the last 20 muinutes". Everyone strapped in, gripped the arm rests and chatted nervously- a truly jittery cabin of passengers - and then the ride began!!

Coming in over the bay, setting up for a normal approach, the bumps start. Broken cloud means we can see the ground and get a real impression of the undulations of the aircraft. At this stage, it was nothing to bumpy - unpleasent, yes, but not anywhere near as bad as I have had in the past on this very route.

Alas I relaxed too soon. At around 3000ft, lining up on finals, it got very rough. You could feel the aircraft shimmering as it swayed. Between the right wing dipping, yawing to the left and the nose pushing downwards, gasps prevailled around the cabin. I was willing the pilots to hold it whispering to myself" Come on, get it" as we swang from one impossible angle to another. The engines spooled up and down as the air crew fought to hold the ILS. It was a valiant effort.

But just as the perimeter fence came under our belly, even their vailant efforts were to no avail. A huge wind sheer sprung up and threw us towards the ground, the right wing dipping dangerously close to the grass. People gasped, cabin crew looked shocked - and the the pilots? - well they did exactly what they had trained to do and threw the thorttles wide open and executed a go around.

We were about 100ft from the run way and pow!! Those engines can surely go when the want to. Sharp bank to the right and away we climb.

Announcements made to reassure a very shocked and neervous cabin. Captain says "...too dangerous to continue the approach...."

We cleared off to a holding pattern over the bay and waited for the weather to calm down. 20 minutes of circling at the base of the thicking clouds - very bumpy, but I don't think anyone cared as long as we were flying, and not in that tumble dryer of an approach.

So we try again and to the relief of everyone, the next approach was normal and somewhat un-eventful. We landed, taxied and departed in silence.

Passengers phoned loved ones, consolled each other whilst waiting for their luggage.

The pilots walked in in thir shirt sleeves. All looked on expecting a harried pair, sweating buckets. But they were dry as anythiing, calm and looked generally happy with themselves.

Could they not have looekd just a little flustered - to at least make us nerve trodden passengers feel like it was actually as bad as it felt????

Obviously not!

Training, skill and a love of flying - the qualities that makes passengers trust pilots with their lives.

[paull]

Zurich - GA twice. Terrible weather, not stabilised on the first approach, second GA was a surprise to us pax but the captain later said that the tower gave him warning of wind sheer(?) , he said that if we did not get in third time we would divert. Third approach no problem, lots of power pretty smooth all the way down. It was pretty scary however on the first/second.

Basle(I think), not quite a GA, Turboprop on finals for one runway had the runway changed at the last minute. No reason given but getting off the plane I asked the captain and he said "Ah, you noticed! I haven't landed on that one for a while and I thought I would just practice" - never did find out the real reason.

Geneva - again a turboprop I think, did not get confirmation of undercarriage locked down, ok 2nd time around but we did get a fire-engine escort on each side down the runway.

Best ever not quite GA was SAS into Seattle/Tacoma, there was a camera on the nose wheel and most of us where pretty sure that he was lined up to land on the highway until a Hard Left/Hard Right or was it hardRight/HardLeft put us back on track. Whether it was really the highway or just a mix-up with a LH and RH runway (are there two at SEA?) I do not know. So much for all the modern nav-aids!

That's my lot for over 20yrs approx 2000 flights.

[bnt]

No GAs, only one missed approach that I can recall: in to DUB from DXB last New Year's Eve, on an Aer Lingus A330. Pilot told us the winds were pretty awful on the ground, so we did a figure-8 over the sea, at higher angles of bank that I thought was safe (60deg?). Landing was uneventful, though there was a bad crosswind.

I've had a few flights when I've wished the pilots had gone around, into Dublin, and most memorably a "triple jump" at LCY (London City) last year, courtesy of CityJet. :bored:

[mutt]

Missed Approach, pressurization problem and rejected takeoff all on the same flight..... Sorry about the length of the videos, its my first time using youtube.. :)
Missed Approach from 200feet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAo0XrGHLVE
Pressurization test (Event happens after 1 minute 25 secs, I dont have software here to edit it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFETeBm3fuY
Rejected Takeoff from 80 KIAS (only worth watching the first 10 secs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7vUO69ttXE
Not the worlds most dangerous airline, but part of new aircraft acceptance testing.
Mutt

[take-off]

reason being most slf blame the first person they see, is probably because they haven't been told whats going on, as slf myself ,had 2 go arounds and one we got explained what happend , and on the other we didnt, as you can imagine the one where were had no information, agreat number of people were certainly concerned to put it politely.. its ok for pilots and crew to say the pax over react but the majority probably only get on a plane once or twice a year, just sayin a little information is sometimes better than none at all. appologies if it sounds like a rant but, if you look at it in another way the person flying the plane has apassengers life in his/her hands, thatmay sound over the top, but when you look at it that way , doesnt the pax have some right to know whats going on?

appologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes, just finished a nite shift:sad:

[BaronChotzinoff]

Hope you got some sleep, take-off! :)

Not sure I agree, if you opt to fly with an airline you are vouching trust in their procedures etc, a previous post mentions how there often just isn't time on the lfight deck to make announcements, and the last thing they want is the typical trumped-up overreactions of "knowledgeable" amateurs who'll shout their little heads off on the strength of a bit of hearsay.