7. Hurricane

Flew from Ohio to Charlotte, NC. During the flight, a hurricane unexpectedly turned hard inland and made landfall. No air traffic was permitted to land, everywhere was backed up to the maximum, and flights were forced to circle the airport until they could get them on the ground. Unfortunately we arrived late and the air traffic at 30,000ft was completely clogged.

Instead we were forced to circle the airport, which was in the heart of the hurricane. We flew in circles for an hour and ten minutes, with lightning on both sides of the plane nonstop, with turbulence that would make a 70-year-old sailor wet himself.

When we finally landed, no one would exit the plane. The applause lasted until the captain came out and spontaneously began weeping. He told us that he was so, so sorry that we all had to experience that, but that he was happy that he had the privilege of getting us safely back on solid ground. And then hugged an older lady who kissed him until we forgot about the hurricane and started to feel slightly uncomfortable for him.

8. Medical emergency

Coming in to land at Dulles (Washington DC), and the guy in the opposite aisle starts groaning really loudly. Immediately I turn to look, and he’s not just groaning – he’s wailing, his body is convulsing, and he’s smashing his head into the chair directly in front of him.

The passenger next to him is freaked out and terrified.

Now, I’m a medical journalist, pharmacy grad, and I’ve done a load of first aid courses, so I know what’s going on here. Someone starts yelling for someone to stick something in his mouth – and that’s the worst thing you can do if someone is having a seizure. Instead, as perverse as it sounds, the best thing to do is let the seizure go.

So, I yell “NO!” at that, to make it clear, then calmly get someone to signal for the flight attendant, and ask if there’s something soft to use to cushion.

Now, this is a bit of a strange situation because the guy having the seizure is already restrained by the seatbelt. So the best thing to do was use this oversized teddy bear someone had to cushion the guy’s head, and get that in place. The stewardess is trying to help, dropping off a medkit, and puts a call out for a nurse or doctor.

So there’s me, the stewardess, and a nurse, unbuckled, coming in on a priority emergency landing at Dulles, the plane is at a crazy landing angle, and I’m straddling the aisle trying to stop this guy from drilling his head through the wall with a giant teddy bear.

As soon as the nurse arrived I stopped, because her expertise trumped my very basic skills. The guy was okay – bewildered and covered in blood, but the EMTs got him off.