The return flight to Manila was on schedule and utilized a larger aircraft to accommodate more passengers on what seemed like the most desirable slot for the airline during the day. On its other flights, the aircraft would usually be an Airbus A320 but for the one I took this morning, it was a wide-bodied A330 that brought us back home. I still wonder why the airline could not deploy larger aircraft on its other flights given the high demand along this route. I can imagine all the OFWs passing through Singapore including seamen coming in from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. A Boeing 777 should suffice if the 747's are committed to flights to the US.
I was already expecting some turbulence given the current weather systems in Singapore and the Philippines. In fact, northern and central Luzon Island had just been battered by a strong typhoon whose swirling tails still affect much of the weather in most parts of Luzon including Metro Manila. I didn't expect that I would experience 2 minutes of hell sometime after taking off from Changi. The aircraft shook violently for what seemed like an eternity and some passengers were already expressing their worries, some through shrieks after the aircraft suddenly was lifted up by the wind. After that, it was practically a smooth flight until we reached Philippine airspace where we again experienced some turbulence. These were of the "routine" kind, however, so they didn't cause any worries except perhaps to a few novice passengers or those who weren't much into flying (i.e., there are still many who have the phobia but manage somehow to control this).
And I have had a lot of experiences in the past on inflight turbulence with some quite terrifying in the sense that I actually prayed the entire rosary during those flights, relying on my faith to ensure a safe voyage. I even remember one flight our family took from Iloilo to Manila in the 1980's that even now my parents relate as their worst experience of turbulence. It goes side by side with another harrowing experience on a ship, again heading back to Manila from Iloilo. The Negros Navigation's Dona Florentina was tossed and hammered by typhoon-generated waves during one voyage in the 1970's. My parents were already preparing for the possibility that the ship would lose its battle with the sea and that we would have to fight for survival in the turbulent seas. Fortunately for us, we have always arrived safely at our destinations, no doubt aided by the gentle hand of a loving God.
I was already expecting some turbulence given the current weather systems in Singapore and the Philippines. In fact, northern and central Luzon Island had just been battered by a strong typhoon whose swirling tails still affect much of the weather in most parts of Luzon including Metro Manila. I didn't expect that I would experience 2 minutes of hell sometime after taking off from Changi. The aircraft shook violently for what seemed like an eternity and some passengers were already expressing their worries, some through shrieks after the aircraft suddenly was lifted up by the wind. After that, it was practically a smooth flight until we reached Philippine airspace where we again experienced some turbulence. These were of the "routine" kind, however, so they didn't cause any worries except perhaps to a few novice passengers or those who weren't much into flying (i.e., there are still many who have the phobia but manage somehow to control this).
And I have had a lot of experiences in the past on inflight turbulence with some quite terrifying in the sense that I actually prayed the entire rosary during those flights, relying on my faith to ensure a safe voyage. I even remember one flight our family took from Iloilo to Manila in the 1980's that even now my parents relate as their worst experience of turbulence. It goes side by side with another harrowing experience on a ship, again heading back to Manila from Iloilo. The Negros Navigation's Dona Florentina was tossed and hammered by typhoon-generated waves during one voyage in the 1970's. My parents were already preparing for the possibility that the ship would lose its battle with the sea and that we would have to fight for survival in the turbulent seas. Fortunately for us, we have always arrived safely at our destinations, no doubt aided by the gentle hand of a loving God.
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