Flying

Tag Archives for Flying.

4,000 hours of flying: 71 times around the earth

Stepping off my Malaysia airlines flight yesterday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I discovered that I have hit a milestone. I have flown  just over 4,000 hours in my life. According to Flightmemory, this is five and a half months I have sat inside tubes of metal. To be extra nerdy, I have flown the equivalent of 71 times around the earth or seven times the distance to the moon. Coincidentally, in the next month, I will celebrate a half century of flying. My first flight was, as a very young child from Kirkwall, Orkney…

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How I use plane safety briefings

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. If you haven’t already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt. And also make sure your seat back and folding trays are in their full upright position. For many passengers the start of the safety briefing is a sign they can start dozing, reading or texting. Are safety announcements an anachronism? Accounts of  US Air Flight 1549‘s evacuation indicate that one of the key reasons many passengers were able to…

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