Drama In The Air

My flight to Chicago was relatively easy. I had the iPod for the first time and listened to a long interview with Bill Murray and This Week in Technology with Leo Laporte.

I love Leo. He’s been a trailblazer in tech. The show was rudderless. I still listened all the way through. I just wanted more meat and more structure.

About twenty minutes out of Chicago a flight attendant came on the PA. “Is there a doctor, nurse or medical person on the flight?”

That only happens in the movies, right?

About ten rows behind me a woman had suffered a seizure. As I’d later find out, she had medication with her. This must not have been a total surprise.

You would guess this sort of thing puts you to the head of the line for landing. We hit the ground, hit the brakes, did a 250 degree turn and pulled right to the terminal.

The door popped open and in rushed three Chicago Fire Department EMTs.

I can’t tell you how the woman is. She looked unconscious as they moved her off in a wheelchair.

Before we landed, the crew asked everyone to stay seated and not go to the overhead bins. The instructions were followed.

The Chicago-LAX passengers are starting to get on. It will be a full flight. I’ve moved back a row and taken a window seat. Maybe I’ll see some snowcapped mountains.

Next stop Los Angeles.

10 thoughts on “Drama In The Air”

  1. Geoff, had a similar experience on a flight from Philly to Bradley last year. A lady became sick on the flight, not sure from what. But we where just south of NYC at the time. The pilot announced that we would be landing sooner than we had thought. I have never experienced an aircraft descend that fast in my life. We gunned it to the terminal and emt’s where there waiting. I saw the lady in the terminal after we got off the aircraft surrounded by emt’s. I hope she was ok.

  2. Geoff,

    When you take pictures like that, I’m assuming you turn off your flash to remain discreet. Just curious.

    As for snow capped mountains, you should see the weather statements from Reno. Over 3 feet of snow at Lake Tahoe. Almost 5 feet in the passes. Over 3 inches of snow per hour! Great stuff.

  3. btw…leo (then lay oh) was at ybc with lamar and me…

    i ‘m a regular mac break weekly listener…also a twit pod cast

    make alexey and me proud out there at the commerce.

  4. btw…leo (then lay oh) was at ybc with lamar and me…

    i ‘m a regular mac break weekly listener…also a twit pod cast

    make alexey and me proud out there at the commerce.

  5. No flash was used on the photos of the EMT. Santa brought me an 30mm f/1.4 lens, which makes that kind of natural light photography possible.

    I did not shoot any photos of the woman who was in obvious distress.

  6. A similar event happened on my flight from Chicago’s O’Hare to Seattle. About 20 minutes out of Seattle, they made a similar announcement over the PA and we stayed seated until the paramendics took the patient off the plane.

  7. I’m genuinely curious… I had heard that since 9/11, photography in, of, and around airports and on planes is prohibited.

    A couple years ago, I saw an agitated mother pleading with a TSA agent at LGA to let her in to see her son, who was coming back from his tour of duty in Iraq and had apparently made the mistake of videotaping the scene out the window as the plane made its approach. Upon landing he had been taken into custody and was being interrogated.

    Also, a month or so ago a Japanese tourist was hauled off an Amtrak train in New Haven (leaving his bewildered wife behind) for taking photos of Union Station.

    Are these isolated incidents arising from over-zealous people in positions of authority, or is there really a new law on the books they’re not wanting the general public to be aware of?

  8. As far as I know, photography hasn’t been forbidden. In fact, in the NY subways a proposed draconian ban was never implemented.

    There are more cameras, carried by more people than ever before. All the cellphones, all the pocket point and shoots. It boggles the mind.

    It’s too late to try and ban it.

  9. The TSA bans photography at the security screening areas. The rest of the terminal is fair game. I’ve been taking pictures at airports and on planes with abandon since 9/11 with no issues. I guess no one wants to mess with the big, bald white guy.

    I work as a paramedic full time and part-time as a rep for a small electronics company. I fly a lot. When I’m traveling I wear my work T-shirts (I have a billion of them and they are comfy) that say PARAMEDIC in 2″ letters across the back. Flight personnel still ask me if I’m really a paramedic.

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