Here’s a somewhat obscure one: “What Do We Do? We Fly!” (from the 1965 semi-flop musical Do I Hear a Waltz?). The final verse (spoilered for the queasy):
You’re zooming up like a comet,
Your ears are starting to ring,
Your neighbor’s starting to vomit,
There’s ice along the wing.
As you wait for your palms to dry,
You can see your whole life pass by,
And they tell you it’s fun to fly!
Your chance of survival’s so remote,
You’re far better off to cut your throat,
But who has the time to take a boat?
What do we do? We fly!
Wow. I have to assume those lyrics were written from the point of view of someone very afraid of flying, because I don’t think flight safety was quite that bad in even the Wright brothers’ time, let alone 1965!
Thanks sw! Sorry to hear about your last couple flights, though. Why were they so terrifying, if you don’t mind my asking - rough turbulence?
I experienced really bad turbulence once- on a business trip with my boss flying home. The flight was delayed for almost two hours due to a bad storm. The turbulence I assume was from the storm’s aftermath. The plane was shaking like crazy and kept doing these little free fall plummets that were probably only small losses of altitude, but felt terrifying. To take my mind off my anxiety I was thinking of work stuff, since it was a business trip, and had a work idea I told my boss. When I turned to tell him he was white-knuckle gripping the armrests and he just said something like “yeah, ok, whatever”. He was as, or more, freaked out than I was. I saw the most beautiful sunset I think I’ve ever seen out of the plane window- layers of clouds colored purple, orange and gold. I thought, if I’m about to die, at least that’s a great last view.
But, if it’s any consolation, planes are built to take an enormous amount of turbulence. Even turbulence much more than I, or probably you experienced those times is likely no actual danger, other than to unbuckled passengers being knocked around. Not that it’s a very comforting thought when you’re going through it.
I am the hawk and there’s blood on my feathers
But time is still turning, they soon will be dry
And all those who see me and all who believe in me
Share in the freedom I feel when I fly
“I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones
“(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” by the Kinks
“Come Take a Trip on My Airship” Natalie Merchant, Johnny Cash, et al.
“Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw
