Being stuck in a pressurized tube to protect us from the harsh environment in the higher skies mean additional hazards. Just like submarines, we must check for pressurization differences and react promptly to fires and smoke. Despite all the QRHs and emergency drills we train for, our noses become more sensitive to changes in smell when on the job and as our noses record new smells, we keep sensing scary smells.
With the wet season in force, our minds are occupied at avoiding clouds and rechecking runway conditions whenever we hear "runway wet". The last thing we needed was smelling something out of the ordinary.
On one recent night flight, we were on our way to climb to 33,000 feet when I smelled something that wasn't right. I couldn't figure it out. When the purser came in, I asked if she can smell something.
"Mbak, can you smell something?"
"What Kep?"
"I don't know. Sometimes I smell smoke, sometimes I smell fuel, sometimes I smell something rotten."
"I'll check the galleys and the lavatories Kep."
A few minutes later she came back reporting that nothing was out of the ordinary. So me and my buddy rechecked the aircraft Pressurization and Air Conditioning System.
"The Packs are normal, cabin pressure normal, recirculation everything, everything's normal."
I just shook my head, but didn't want to get overly concerned. We continued to climb.
On reaching our cruise altitude over Palembang area, the weather radar painted us a wet path ahead. We can see from the lightnings in the clouds that the cells went pretty high. We requested several deviations to stay ahead of the nastiest clouds, but we couldn't avoid the clouds altogether, and the occasional lightning would blind us from time to time.
Just as the first officer turned to face the central pedestal to take a new notepad from his bag behind his seat, a lightning flashed. He froze and became pale. The smell came back. Ash, fuel and something worse than a rotten egg.
"What? What? You OK?" I asked him.
He wasn't looking at me but mumbled, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
I was getting worried, the last thing I wanted was to land on a wet runway after a bumpy ride with my first officer restrained to his seat because he suddenly decided to become mentally ill.
"Kep," he called me. "ignore the smell."
"What?"
"Don't let the smell bother you."
"What do you mean?"
"Trust me Kep, you don't want to know."
Someone knocked on the cockpit door, I wanted to ask the purser to check the smell again.
So there was the pretty purser, smiling always, coming into the cockpit.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask, another lightning flashed and brightened the cockpit.
To my horror, there was a dark figure on the jumpseat behind me. It was a man, his clothes were ripped, soaked with blood and fuel.
I'm sure I turned pale instantly.
"Kep, what's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing."
"Kep, pucet banget!" (you're pale)
The first officer assisted. "It's nothing, can you bring us another coffee for both of us please?"
She wasn't sure. "OK. By the way, what's that smell?"
"Just get us the coffee mbak!"
As soon as she was out I turned to my first officer.
"As I said Kep, don't worry about it."
"But..."
"Don't let it bother you Kep, he just wants a ride. Let him have it and he won't bother us."
I tried to not let it bother. We agreed not to talk further about the smell, or the invisible rider until we landed.
The coffee arrived. I don't drink much coffee on duty but at least it kept the smell down.
A few minutes later, the first officer said, "OK Kep, he's gone to the toilet."
"Who is he?"
"I'm not sure if he's sensitive about it, but the guy recently died in a car accident. Collided with a truck."
"Nasty!"
"Just stay cool about it Kep, please. It will keep him calm."
"I'll try my best."
After we landed, we quickly taxied to the gate. The smell had become unbearable, but we stayed as calm and cool as we could.
As soon as the cabin doors were opened the smell disappeared. I turned and had to ask, "Is he gone?"
"Yes Kep, he's gone."
"Fiuh"
After the passengers had deboarded, the purser came in.
"OK you two, that was scary!"
"You knew?"
"I saw him Kep, ngeri deh"
"Oh my God! Who else saw him?"
"Two passengers on the first row saw him too and told me."
"Did they smell it too?"
"No."
"Thank God! What did they say?"
"I don't know Kep, but I hope they're not going to complain about it."
"WHAT? If they blame me, I think I quit!"
We're trained to deal with situations and keep our cool, that is how we earn our pay, but I wonder if the company would pay us extra to deal with things like this. I guess not.
With the wet season in force, our minds are occupied at avoiding clouds and rechecking runway conditions whenever we hear "runway wet". The last thing we needed was smelling something out of the ordinary.
On one recent night flight, we were on our way to climb to 33,000 feet when I smelled something that wasn't right. I couldn't figure it out. When the purser came in, I asked if she can smell something.
"Mbak, can you smell something?"
"What Kep?"
"I don't know. Sometimes I smell smoke, sometimes I smell fuel, sometimes I smell something rotten."
"I'll check the galleys and the lavatories Kep."
A few minutes later she came back reporting that nothing was out of the ordinary. So me and my buddy rechecked the aircraft Pressurization and Air Conditioning System.
"The Packs are normal, cabin pressure normal, recirculation everything, everything's normal."
I just shook my head, but didn't want to get overly concerned. We continued to climb.
On reaching our cruise altitude over Palembang area, the weather radar painted us a wet path ahead. We can see from the lightnings in the clouds that the cells went pretty high. We requested several deviations to stay ahead of the nastiest clouds, but we couldn't avoid the clouds altogether, and the occasional lightning would blind us from time to time.
Just as the first officer turned to face the central pedestal to take a new notepad from his bag behind his seat, a lightning flashed. He froze and became pale. The smell came back. Ash, fuel and something worse than a rotten egg.
"What? What? You OK?" I asked him.
He wasn't looking at me but mumbled, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
I was getting worried, the last thing I wanted was to land on a wet runway after a bumpy ride with my first officer restrained to his seat because he suddenly decided to become mentally ill.
"Kep," he called me. "ignore the smell."
"What?"
"Don't let the smell bother you."
"What do you mean?"
"Trust me Kep, you don't want to know."
Someone knocked on the cockpit door, I wanted to ask the purser to check the smell again.
So there was the pretty purser, smiling always, coming into the cockpit.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask, another lightning flashed and brightened the cockpit.
To my horror, there was a dark figure on the jumpseat behind me. It was a man, his clothes were ripped, soaked with blood and fuel.
I'm sure I turned pale instantly.
"Kep, what's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing."
"Kep, pucet banget!" (you're pale)
The first officer assisted. "It's nothing, can you bring us another coffee for both of us please?"
She wasn't sure. "OK. By the way, what's that smell?"
"Just get us the coffee mbak!"
As soon as she was out I turned to my first officer.
"As I said Kep, don't worry about it."
"But..."
"Don't let it bother you Kep, he just wants a ride. Let him have it and he won't bother us."
I tried to not let it bother. We agreed not to talk further about the smell, or the invisible rider until we landed.
The coffee arrived. I don't drink much coffee on duty but at least it kept the smell down.
A few minutes later, the first officer said, "OK Kep, he's gone to the toilet."
"Who is he?"
"I'm not sure if he's sensitive about it, but the guy recently died in a car accident. Collided with a truck."
"Nasty!"
"Just stay cool about it Kep, please. It will keep him calm."
"I'll try my best."
After we landed, we quickly taxied to the gate. The smell had become unbearable, but we stayed as calm and cool as we could.
As soon as the cabin doors were opened the smell disappeared. I turned and had to ask, "Is he gone?"
"Yes Kep, he's gone."
"Fiuh"
After the passengers had deboarded, the purser came in.
"OK you two, that was scary!"
"You knew?"
"I saw him Kep, ngeri deh"
"Oh my God! Who else saw him?"
"Two passengers on the first row saw him too and told me."
"Did they smell it too?"
"No."
"Thank God! What did they say?"
"I don't know Kep, but I hope they're not going to complain about it."
"WHAT? If they blame me, I think I quit!"
We're trained to deal with situations and keep our cool, that is how we earn our pay, but I wonder if the company would pay us extra to deal with things like this. I guess not.
2 comments:
Kep, so did he choose to let himself appear before the two of you or are both of you and your first officer sensitive to their kind?
I cannot imagine this happening in any of my trip.
Scary eh..
Whoaaaaa...!!!!
Pressurized ghost! How cool is that...? :D
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