Bad Food Spoils Return Flight

[dogwoodmaple 380]

Maple Dogwood never thought the handful of flying lessons he took as a teenager would ever come in handy.  He was mistaken.

 

After one of their recent road trips, Maple and the rest of the team was flying home on one of the team's private jets when disaster struck.  About two hours into the three hour flight, the pilot got terribly ill.  At first he thought it was just something he could shake off, but he quickly because too sick to continue with some sort of stomach bug.  Soon, the first officer also started complaining of the same thing.  Then the flight attendants and the entirety of the coaching staff, roster, and everyone on the plane.  Everyone except Maple Dogwood, that is.  

 

"I was so tired after the last game that I immediately fell asleep once we were airborne.  I guess I even slept through the food they served because I think I was the only one who didn't eat anything.   Must've been something wrong with it because it was like a horror movie.  Everyone was throwing up, it was horrible," Dogwood said.

In the midst of all the chaos and the mess, the responsibility fell to Dogwood to try and land jet and get everyone home in one piece.  He quickly jumped into the cockpit and got on the radio.

 

"They asked if I had any flying experience and luckily I did.  Unfortunately, it was on a single engine Cessna and never anything as big as the jet we were on.  When my dad and I did the lessons all those years ago, I never imagined they would be useful.  To be completely honest, I never even really liked flying.  I was prone to air sickness, which is why we only took a handful of lessons.  I could take off okay, but landing it a whole other ballgame," Maple said.

 

After getting his bearings and with some help from the air traffic controller, Maple felt comfortable enough to at least try to land the plane.

 

"I was trying to come up with any option that didn't involve landing, trust me.  I thought about that scene from 'Air Force One' where everyone escaped with parachutes but the pilots laughed when I suggested it.  There were never any parachutes on these flights and we were flying far too low, anyways.  I was convinced there was no way we would get out of this alive, but the air traffic controllers were phenomenal," Dogwood explained.

 

Between the air traffic controllers and the help of the lesser-sick of the two pilots, Dogwood was able to maintain their heading and eventually touch down at the airport with only a slight bump or two.  When paramedics came on board to help evacuate everyone, they were horrified by the sights and smells of what would later be dubbed the "Flight From Hell".  

 

When asked about his harrowing journey, Dogwood said it was hard to put into words.

 

"First off, I'm glad I fell asleep and didn't eat that airplane food.  Second, I'm just thankful that I had help getting that bird on the ground.  Hopefully I don't ever have to sit in the cockpit of an aircraft ever again.  I'm happy to sit back with my feet up and just enjoy the flight."