A smooth landing? Not today, I think to myself. It’s going to be a tough one. Four flights on the schedule for today, back and forth to Pisa and Helsinki, and both destinations are expecting heavy thunderstorms. Aviation is full of clichés, and somehow, they always come true. On days like this, the old oneliners from flight instructors echo in my head.
“Nothing flies without fuel, so let’s start with some coffee.”
Fortunately, everyone on the crew agrees: without coffee, things definitely won’t get better. At least one thing’s going well — our purser is a cheerful chatterbox, happily keeping us fueled with a steady stream of weak, but highly appreciated galley coffee.
“If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”
Together we check the logbook for any technical issues. The Boeing 737NG usually doesn’t have a lot of issues, and today is no exception — nothing extraordinary has occurred for the past week. That means we can rely on the autopilot and GPS without too much worry, a comforting thought with stormy skies ahead.
As we approach Pisa for our first landing, the weather radar lights up with ominous red and purple patches. Not great. During descent, we get a windshear alert, and turbulence gets so bad that the autopilot disconnects itself. Time to take over manually — and we’re not even close to the runway yet. I don’t trust the situation, so full thrust, nose up, and climb. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
With the engines roaring to the max, we shoot back into the sky — there’s no way we’re landing safely in these conditions. The captain and I are in full agreement: time to get out of here. “Lots of power is good, more is better, and too much is just enough.” The passengers are being tossed around like sardines in a tin. The weather is no better in Genoa or Florence, so the only safe option is to divert to Milan.
Fast forward to Helsinki. We’re threading our way through dark clouds and heavy snowfall. Visibility? Minimal. In our briefing, we agree: a firm, positive landing is necessary to minimize the braking distance. There’s snow and ice on the runway, and we need all the friction we can get. No applause from the cabin, but that’s fine. Safety first. “A good landing is one you can walk away from.”