05DEC
A flight to JFK
28 July, 2006. I could already insert summer in the list of the most exciting ones. I went to Moscow on a soccer tournament one week ago and then I was going to visit my brother in the USA. I loved to travel by plane and this time I was flying to JFK, New York. After the boring mechanical procedures (tickets, luggage, passports) came the moment when I got into the plane, which was ready to take off. “Your captain welcomes you. Please fasten your belts in a few minutes we are leaving Earth! The expected time of arrival – 2022, final destination – planet M223. Have a great flight!” ”Nice try, Evgeni, but it is too early for space tourism. However when it is available, I’m sure my next favorite way of traveling will be by space shuttle” I thought. Unfortunately, I was forced by the reality to return back to it... We were taking off from Sheremetevo Airport, Moscow. In the hurry I haven’t managed to get acquainted with the people next to me – a man and an old lady. We were already above the Atlantic Ocean, when I’ve somehow started a conversation with my new friends. The Russian lady was especially talkative (next to annoying) and the man was from Lebanon (at war with Israel at that time)
We were only three hours away from JFK and there was nothing unusual to worry about. I’ve been sitting in my seat since six long hours, listening to the Lebanese man talking about his family and Russian lady glorifying the Communism. Suddenly the shiny Sun was replaced by dark clouds; little drops of rain were leaving long stripes on the windows. “There probably would be a thunderstorm.” said the captain, trying to reassure us. I thought this should be nothing special – some turbulence, a little more intensive atmosphere in the plane and few spilled beverages. But then the nightmare began. The thick clouds made the turbulence so heavy, that I was almost pulled out of my seat. Because we began to lose attitude rapidly, I thought the pilots have completely...