"Darkwing" theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com writes:

This is such a moronic question.

I consider it an intelligent question and relevant to the group, and I've seen
one or two intelligent replies. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about
your reply.

Tell me how you fell Rex Grossman losing the Super Bowl?

I don't know who Rex Grossman is, or what the Super Bowl is.

Who do you think you are MX, Barbara Walters??

I don't know anything about Barbara Walters, either.

I suppose I can answer my own question, though, just to encourage the
intelligent people to reply:

My very first experience was as a passenger on a Southwest Airlines 737-200. I
was most surprised by the apparent flimsiness of the aircraft. I had
previously been in non-moving aircraft on the ground many years earlier, but
this flimsiness was much more obvious in a moving aircraft. Of course, I
realized that the aircraft was not actually flimsy and that it was strong for
its weight, but it was still subjectively surprising. The efforts to keep
things lightweight inside the cabin (seats, inner window panels, etc.) were
obvious (and understandable).

I was surprised by how rough the roll down the runway was; I had assumed that
runways were very smooth. I was surprised by how much the aircraft moved in
the air (I had imagined a glassy-smooth ride, like a slow-moving train), and
by the magnitude of the movements at times. I was also amazed by the extreme
noisiness of the aircraft. I was surprised by how easily I could hear things
like gear retraction and extension, and movement of flaps, and so on.

I had steeled myself for a potentially unpleasant experience, as I knew that
many people are afraid of flying and I thought perhaps there were good reasons
for that. However, I thought it was all great fun. Take-off was the best
part, followed by landing. I experienced no motion sickness, and the view out
the window was fine, not bothering me in the least even in turns and when
slicing through cloudtops. I take this as a reliable sign that I have a
strong fundamental interest in aviation.

I have never flown an aircraft in real life, so I can't comment on that,
although I've sat in various cockpits from time to time (including 747
cockpits).

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