Clear skies never make good pilots!

According to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia, severe turbulence is defined as; Large, abrupt changes in altitude and attitude, a large variation in indicated airspeed and the aircraft temporarily out of control. This is what we experienced landing into Sydney after a picking up a load of guests from Fiji.

Just before take-off from Fiji we were notified by our Flight Manager that if we didn't complete all our cabin securing checks in five minutes we would be stuck in Fiji, due to the weather in Sydney. I've never seen a cabin secured so quickly! We were on the runway as soon as the flight manager gave the all clear to the flight deck! The flight to Sydney was quite normal in terms of turbulence, and the skies were clear.

However, as we were preparing the cabin for landing, we were told to expect a "very rough landing" and to help keep the guests as calm as possible. I'd never had these instructions before and so I assumed our Flight Manager was exaggerating. Boy, was I in for a surprise!? Having only been flying for about a year I can safely say I have never ever experienced turbulence to that degree.

Out of nowhere the plane dropped and a few squeals of surprise were exerted. As I knew it was coming, I smiled and continued to hold my brace position and my review of the emergency procedures, as we are trained to do for every take-off and landing. The guests continued reading their books and hosting conversations. Then the turbulence continued and the plane dropped fast and far, and just as quickly as it fell, it rose, causing our guests to gag and literally turn pale!

The fear was in their eyes, as I watched most looked straight at me for an answer to their concern. I felt sorry for them, and so I swallowed my stomach that had just been forced into my throat and continued to smile, making eye contact with those that seemed most frightened. As a frequent traveler on planes you become immune to the pot holes and the sudden jerks in the air, but you would have to have had the best of stomachs to not react to what we experienced this day.

The plane continued to climb suddenly and fall rapidly like a roller coaster for a good five minutes. Guests had their heads in their partners laps, their eyes closed, their hands tight on the arm rests. Some laughed, some vomited, some screamed, and some cried. Our baby B777-300ER, less than 10 months old groaned as it was thrown about. Seat belts were pulled tighter and mumbles of concern were spreading throughout the cabin.

As there were two spare seats in the flight deck due to the short flight, two of our crew were buckled up with the Captain and First Officer to experience the landing through the Pilot's eyes. I thought of them as we weaved through pockets of air, jealous of what they would learn. I would love to see what would be involved when trying to control the plane during such turbulence and to watch how the pilots cope with their workload under that pressure. I was told by these lucky crew members later that the captain swore and that the atmosphere was intense.

The swinging motions continued until we had almost reached the runway, then the plane rocked from left to right threatening to smack its 30 metre long wings onto the ground. The captain sped up and landed relatively smooth and I watched everyone let out a sigh of relief as they fishtailed down the runway.

As the guests were disembarking I was handing out sick bags and bottles of water to those in need. One guests asked me if it was actually 'bad' turbulence, as he wanted to be sure his fears were warranted. I assured him that yes, that was unusual for turbulence.

Upon reflection, it certainly was a learning curve as well as an adrenalin rush for the crew. I personally, learnt two things;

1. I don't vomit as easily as I thought I did/would.

and

2. A smile goes a long way.

:-)