Flying the Turbulent Skies

[Kevy Baby]

Not as much a turbulence issue, but similar: we were coming into Ontario (CA) and the cross winds were particularly bad this day. We made one pass and got blown so far off to the side (maybe 20 feet above the runway), that the pilot had to gun it and take off again. Second pass, same basic thing.

At this point, the pilot got on to announce that he was going to make one more try and if he was unable to land, we were going to be diverted to John Wayne (Orange County) or LAX.

As we made the third attempt, the pilot hovered about 10 feet above the runway for a couple of seconds and then slammed the plane down hard. But we landed and were alive. One of those instances where the entire plane broke into applause upon landing.

It was from that landing that I learned the difference between a Navy landing and an Air Force landing. Since Navy pilots are often landing on aircraft carriers, a hard landing is a Navy landing. Since the Air Force is typically landing on nice runways, a smooth landing is an Air Force landing.