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Introduction
I had business to attend to in Shanghai last Friday.
My last trip here was in 2007 so we decided to make a weekend out of it.
Also it gave us the oppurtunity to:
1. Try out Hyatt on the Bund
2. Look at preparations for World Expo 2010
The Flight
( There is an article in the August 2009 issue of Silverkris magazine with good advice on how to write a travel blog )
It was a 773, unfortunately unmodified.
I expected a routine flight so I didn't make notes or take pictures.
As things turned out, I thought it would be my last flight!
Everything went smoothly till we approached PVG.
The pilot had given us an ETA.
Then, we were put in a holding pattern.
Pilot came on to announce a delay ( I think he said 40 mins ) due to air traffic congestion.
After about 30 mins, we started our approach.
We were flying through thick clouds. Rain was streaming across my window.
I could see lightning flashes ( not lightning bolts ) in the clouds some distance away.
But the scary bit for me was the turbulence: Feeling weightless one moment, and being pressed down onto the seat the next.
And the changing engine pitch as the plane attempted to land.
I think we tried twice to land.
I remember thinking:
1. I'm glad it's still daylight
2. Thank goodness I'm in a 777!
The pilot came back on to say that we would have to use radar guidance to land.
The attempt was successful, but I remember cloud cover was very low and I could only see land when we were almost on top of the airfield.
I've flown a lot but have not really been so scared before.
I think it is because in the past year or two for whatever reason, they have stopped the IFE before landing.
For that matter, they only start IFE after takeoff.
Now I have nothing to distract myself when the weather is bad...
The next day, Channel News Asia reported that 2000 PAXs were stuck in PVG because of bad weather....
I had business to attend to in Shanghai last Friday.
My last trip here was in 2007 so we decided to make a weekend out of it.
Also it gave us the oppurtunity to:
1. Try out Hyatt on the Bund
2. Look at preparations for World Expo 2010
The Flight
( There is an article in the August 2009 issue of Silverkris magazine with good advice on how to write a travel blog )
It was a 773, unfortunately unmodified.
I expected a routine flight so I didn't make notes or take pictures.
As things turned out, I thought it would be my last flight!
Everything went smoothly till we approached PVG.
The pilot had given us an ETA.
Then, we were put in a holding pattern.
Pilot came on to announce a delay ( I think he said 40 mins ) due to air traffic congestion.
After about 30 mins, we started our approach.
We were flying through thick clouds. Rain was streaming across my window.
I could see lightning flashes ( not lightning bolts ) in the clouds some distance away.
But the scary bit for me was the turbulence: Feeling weightless one moment, and being pressed down onto the seat the next.
And the changing engine pitch as the plane attempted to land.
I think we tried twice to land.
I remember thinking:
1. I'm glad it's still daylight
2. Thank goodness I'm in a 777!
The pilot came back on to say that we would have to use radar guidance to land.
The attempt was successful, but I remember cloud cover was very low and I could only see land when we were almost on top of the airfield.
I've flown a lot but have not really been so scared before.
I think it is because in the past year or two for whatever reason, they have stopped the IFE before landing.
For that matter, they only start IFE after takeoff.
Now I have nothing to distract myself when the weather is bad...
The next day, Channel News Asia reported that 2000 PAXs were stuck in PVG because of bad weather....
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