First Time Flying

The above posts are very good and its easy to say how safe flying is but i understand your concerns it is after all a strange enviroment and very strange sensations maybe i can explain some of the sounds you will hear and hopefully this will demystify the flight and hopefully give you something to think about during the flight so here goes.

On boarding the aircraft the engines may or may not be running most likely not the sound you can here is the generator suppling power for air conditioning and lights.

As you take your seat above your head you will see the fastern seat belt sign is lit.

as the final passengers have boarded then the first officer will start the engines one at a time as this takes a lot of power the lights may dim for a second or two, the cabin crew will then shut the doors and start the safety drill explaining where the exits are and how to put on your life jacket (all this information can be found on a laminated card in the pocket of the seatback infront of you.

The steps and baggage lorrys are then taken away from the aircraft.

The aircraft is then ready to be moved away from the terminal building this is achieved by a lorry that is connected to the front wheel of the aircraft and you will start to reverse when the aircraft is away from the building the lorry will be seperated and the plane is ready to taxi to the runway at this point the captain will ask the cabin crew to carry out cross check and report this means he want the crew to check the doors are secure and they will place a piece of tape across the door window this signifies the door is locked and secure they will report this to the captain the crew will then take their seats.

As the aircraft approaches the runway the interior lights will be turned out but you can turn on the reading light above your seat whilst the lights are out you will notice a lot of flashing lights these are the various strobe lights around the craft these are for visability in the air.

at the start of the runway the plane will come to a halt while the air trafic control give the pilot clearance to take off there may be a bit of a delay whilst a plane infront clears the runway.when the clearance is recieved the pilot will appliy full powerto the engines with the brakes full on when the corect power level is accieved he will release the brakes and the plane will quickly accelerate to about 180 mph the plane will quickly climb when the aircraft has reached about 5000 ft the engines will be cut back a bit and the climb will be relaxed a bit the climb will be much more gentle and the seat belt signs will go out.

the cabin crew will then start their duties ie preparing the meals drinks trollys ect.

This is the boring bit as nothing much happens for the next 2 hour 30 mins.

As the plane flys along the Adriatic coast of Italy the pilot will start the decent into Corfu you will notice the drop in engine noise and the fastern seat belt signs be lit and this is a good time to suck on a boiled sweet the swallowing action helps equalise the pressure in your ears. during the approach into Corfu there will be various gentle and sometimes tighter turns this will be accompanied the sound of the flaps on the wings being extended and lowered this can make the aircraft seem more clumbersome and you may here some wind noise the wheels will be lowered this can be heard in the cabin this also means you are only a few minutes from touch down there will most likely be one last right hand turn before touch down with one or two slight adjustments to the course .

You are probably thinking that the picture of the runway looks very short do not worry the aircraft will only use half the length.

if you look out of the window you will notice the ground getting closer this will prepare you for landing when the plane touches down there will be a bit of a jolt and the pilot will applie full brakes and reverse the engines this is quite normal and is nothing to worry about once the aircraft has slowed to about 30 miles an hour the crew will say those magic words WELCOME TO CORFU  the plane will then taxi to the terminal building and there may be a slight delay whilst the steps are bought out to the plane and the busses are driven into place the doors are then opened and you are then free to bisembark.

enjoy your holiday