Have you ever flown out of John Wayne Airport, also known as Orange County Airport or SNA? Planes taking off from there have a noise abatement procedure that's borderline insane (there's a technical description here).
Before the flight starts, the pilot tells you what's going to happen: right after takeoff, engine power will be cut way back for a few seconds so that coastal residents can hear less noise. Oh fun! The pilot explains that this is safe and normal: they practice it and do it all the time. You nod your head, thankful for the warning. And then, when it actually happens a few minutes later, you are still somehow completely unprepared for the disconcerting feeling of the plane's engine power apparently vanishing just when your subconscious brain is telling it to climb, climb, climb.
Only then, after your heart has stopped and your blood has drained to your feet, do you remember that, oh yeah, this is supposed to happen. And then the engine power comes back, your body reactivates itself, and life goes on. It's better than a roller coaster!
(Technical description link from Dennis Cheung.)
That makes me want to take a flight from SNA for no other reason.
Posted by: JAV | Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 10:14 AM