Nelson Galaxy

The recent near disaster on runway 27L at Heathrow Airport reminded me of my own aerospace adventures. The Air Accident Investigations Branch believes there was a problem with the engines on flight BA038, which failed to respond to a demand for increased thrust. All 136 passengers and 16 crew on the British Airways flight survived. Now that is a relief.

My heart stopping airplane incident occurred on a Virgin Airways flight destined for New York City. I was there to experience Manhattan’s drag nightlife and find venues for Nelson Galaxy and the Donovans of Trash to perform. We were just coming in to land at Newark International Airport. I was strapped into my seat and was beginning to tense in expectation of the coming decent. We entered the cloud line just as the pressure started to build in my head. The atmosphere in the airplane was silent and apprehensive as it became very dark and we noticed flashes of lightening.

There was a sudden white flash and a deafening bang outside my window. The airplane violently dipped to the right and the engines made a high-pitched attempt to right the vehicle. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and I could hear screams and sounds of general panic. As I placed my head between my knees I felt strangely calm. “Well, this is it then Nel. Not what I expected but at least I’ll get onto the news.”

I could vaguely hear the pilot over the speakers: “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. You may have noticed a slight flash on the right side of the airplane. This was just a little bit of lightening hitting the wing and there is nothing to worry about. So please remain calm and we will be landing in twenty minutes.”

It was at this point that I did begin to panic. I was expecting to look out of the window and see the engine on fire, or even a strange creature dismantling the wing in a William Shatner/Twilight Zone/madness conundrum. We landed without any further incident.

Flying, it’s safer than driving, except when you fall out of the sky.