20 Pilots Share Their Exciting, Weird, And Downright Terrifying In-Flight Experiences

Do not read this if you're about to board or are currently in a plane!

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• February 17, 2022

Being a pilot carries a certain prestige because it's a highly skilled job. Plus, it doesn't hurt that every time you go to work, you got the best view.

It must be a heady combination of feeling; knowing that you can skillfully maneuver a flying metallic, gravity-defying object and at the same time, be responsible for the lives in your aircraft.

Needless to say, flying a plane or a helicopter is a high-pressure job that has the best perks. They get to go from one country to the next and they have experiences that only other pilots can truly understand.

Something we should ask pilots more about is the weird and petrifying things they see while flying. It comes with the job, doesn't it?

We're not talking about passengers going crazy 30,000 feet up in the air although we are certain they have those stories, too. We're more interested in the "you wouldn't believe it happened unless you're there" variety of stories.

For those with the fear of flying, we recommend you stop reading at this point because these stories won't ease your nerves at all. But to those who are curious about these unique stories, read on and find out what pilots shared in this r/AskReddit forum.

The question that got the ball rolling:

1. It's like high-stakes Charlotte's Web

2. Smoke in the cockpit, 2(!) almost mid-air collisions, and a meteor!

3. Zero visibility while trying to land on a moving ship

4. Uncle saw God and didn't care to elaborate about his divine experience

5. A skydiver that jumped too close for comfort

6. A missile that almost roasted a plane and everyone on board

7. A plane cartwheeling down the runway with serious injuries as a result

8. That's one unruly goose

9. Bird strikes are common accidents in aviation and they don't always end well

10. 2 planes flying "butt-clenchingly" close to each other

11. Tricky maneuvers on a huge aircraft

12. Engine sputtering while flying

13. Thunderstorms must be fascinating, beautiful, and scary all at once

14. That's a messy lesson to learn and also, those poor birds

15. Clueless pilot who had no care about other people

16. Mystery smoke in the cabin but hey, here's a 15 dollar flight credit

17. That's just freedom trying to fly beside you

18. Finally, someone mentioned a blimp!

19. Choose your demise: plummet to death or get attacked by a wild boar?

20. The obligatory UFO post (honestly suprised there weren't more UFO sightings)

How cool is it that humans can fly up so high, we can touch clouds? It must be amazing to be a pilot but based on those stories, it's equally frightening as well.

At least with their job, there will never be a "just another day at the office" scenario. No two days will be the same and thanks to that, we'll never have a shortage of interesting in-flight stories.

The next time you fly, don't forget to thank your crew for making sure you got to your destination safely. We only got a glimpse of their experiences during those delayed flights we love to complain about.

Chelsi