A few weeks ago, I was flying home from New York. I had booked the plane ticket late, because it was a last-minute trip to interview a final candidate. Because of the timing, I ended up sitting in the next to last row of the plane.
If any of you are from Denver, you know that we have had substantial rain these past several weeks, so my flight home was full of turbulence. The pilot announced that descending would be a bit rough, and he instructed the flight attendants to get the plane ready to land and take their seats.
The turbulence was intense. As the plane was about to hit the runway, all of the sudden, the tail of the plane jerked to one side, violently tossing us around. I frantically gripped my arm rests! The pilot floored the gas and took off again! I have never in my life had an experience like that! The guy beside me looked at me with huge wide eyes full of fear, accurately mirroring my own.
After we circled the airport for about 20 minutes, the pilot came on to announce that we were going to land again. He told us that a tailwind had come out of nowhere, and since they weren’t prepared for it, they couldn’t land. He then reassured us that he was ready for it, and we would be on the ground in 15 minutes.
The landing was amazingly smooth, considering what had just occurred. And the entire plane erupted in applause.
Because I was in the back, I was the last passenger to get off. The pilot stood at the front of the plane and thanked each passenger for their patience and confidence in him. He was gracious and kind. When I approached, he said “Were you in the back of the plane?” I told him I was.
“Did you feel that tailwind?”
I said, “Yes! It was scary!”
He then excitedly began to tell me all about the tail wind, the direction of the wind, and how it affected the plane. His eyes lit up, and mine glazed over.
As he finished with his story, including hand gestures, I said to him, “Did you hear the applause?”
His face softened, and he said “No!… people really clapped for us?”
“They sure did. And you deserved it!”
“Wow. I’m honored.” We shook hands, and I left.
THIS is the pilot that I want flying every plane I get on. Nice job hiring, Delta!
POWER THOUGHT: Who do you want landing YOUR plane?