The Flight Home

1:50 am: Board plane again, listen to the safety rules again.

2:00 am: Plane leaves Seattle.

2:15 am: Cabin dark, most people sleeping, somewhere around 20,000 feet and still climbing. Right engine (yup, the one they had been working on) suddenly revs up quickly and with great noise, plane wobbles noticeably as pilot reacts.

"What were those safety rules again?!"

2:15:10 am: Everyone is WIDE awake now and you can hear some people making panic noises and some sobbing. I don't feel death is eminent at this point but sleep is now out of the question.

2:15:20 am: Engine is now beginning to spool down. I look down the aisle and the flight attendant is sitting straight up in her jump seat with an "Oh shit" look on her face. I draw what comfort I can from her professional opinion and continue to crane my head in the window to somehow see what is causing the engine excitement.

2:15:30 am: Both engines now sound the same and the plane flys straight and level. Chatter is contagious as everyone speaks their concerns to who ever is next to them. We all look to the flight attendant, waiting for the next surprise the plane has planned for us.

2:17 am: "Good morning from the flight deck. You might have noticed an increase in the rpm's in the right engine about 3 minutes ago. This was an engine recalibration and is completely normal. I'm sure some of you might be concerned with our recent service delay, but there are no problems and we should arrive in Boise at 3:30 am. Thank you for flying Horizon."

2:18 am: Service carts are being prepped for drink service. Three loud dings and a chat on the phone later. "We are sorry but the captain has asked us to cancel beverage service due to expected turbulence on our way to Boise. Thank you for your understanding."

3:20 am: After much chop and engine revs up and down we land in Boise to deplane in the 82 degree heat. I contemplate updating the blog when I get home, but I am too tired.