Memoirs from the Orange Army

The Invisible Rock of Gibraltar

*AUTHORS NOTE* - Hi readers, I hope you are all well. I just wanted to quickly say thank you for reading the latest chapter, I'm glad it was well received and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing and reliving those memories. This chapter is centred around Gibraltar and the notoriety of the airport. It's a wonderful place but it can also be incredibly frustrating too. So, for those of you who know and love Gibraltar, welcome, this will be the ultimate experience. For those of you who don't know, take a seat and learn about the daily motions (I use that word sensitively, you'll see why later) that happen at Gibraltar.

Joey S
X

After a great start to my year, and a bit of birthday leave into the bargain, I was feeling incredibly optimistic and somewhat elated at the thought of finally being able to operate a long awaited duty to Gibraltar. Considered to be one of the most dangerous take-off/landings in the world due to having wind shear, flocks of birds and the occasional 'monkey' on the runway, GIB has more than earned its notoriety.

It wasn't unusual, especially to the local population, that quite a few aircraft wouldn't be able to get in due to its unpredictable conditions. This forced many aircraft to choose Malaga as their alternate destination to land. From this point, passengers would be transported between the two airports to their flight. Although entirely inconvenient, it is something every airline plans for when sending flights to Gibraltar.

I couldn't wait to get to the airport and start the duty. I had told my partner, parents, friends, in-fact anyone who would listen; so obvious was my excitement. I reached the crew room and stood proudly at the table beaming from ear to ear. It was at the briefing table I learned there was a possibility of not being able to get into Gibraltar due to poor weather conditions. The wind shear was just under limits and there was fog at low level. This meant it was going to be a fifty/fifty chance of being able to land. I remained optimistic though, we had a very good flight crew and I hoped they would be able to work some magic and land successfully. Gibraltar is a much sought after flight and is probably owing much to the fact it is a tax haven too.

We took off from a very hazy Gatwick, it was still early in the morning but the sun had started to rise. The hills around Surrey were ablaze with the morning sun and the mist rose above them splitting the sunlight in a million different ways. A variety of vehicles streamed along motorways which looked like the pulsating arteries of the land. London was slowly rising up and getting ready for another productive day at the offices, schools and shops. We soared like a bird above the clouds and into the brilliant morning sunshine. It wasn't long until we were released from our jumpseats and we commenced our usual activities. Everything seemed to be absolutely fine, the service was pretty much standard with the occasional G&T here or there. Gibraltar flights are usually our 'Tea & Shortbread' flights, they are a pleasure to work as the passengers don't ask for much to keep them happy.

As we purred along the sky, getting closer by the mile, we began to hear rumours of not being able to get into Gibraltar. We still remained hopeful of getting in with little or no problems. We took our seats for landing after preparing the cabin and stared at the swirling clouds below that got increasingly closer every minute. It wasn't long before we lightly skimmed across the clouds like a boat on water. After a few seconds more, we took a plunge into the murky, swirling depths of the clouds. I always found it exciting whenever we were descending or ascending through clouds as I always wondered what could be on the other side. My mind wandered aimlessly about the different lands that could be underneath, almost as if I was at the magical Faraway Tree. My trail of thought suddenly broke when things started to get bumpy. The globe pots rattled in their stowages, trolleys rocked from side to side behind their latches and the passengers were swaying from side to side in unison. The Captain had warned there would be turbulence forecast with severe wind shear at the beginning of the day so it was something I had been expecting. The landing gear was now beginning to come down and we were still descending through the clouds which had cast various shapes and shades throughout the cabin as we glided over all the lumps and bumps of the wind. The clouds were unrelenting, as I tried to look outside of my porthole for any view of the land to determine how high up we still were. Suddenly, there was a deafening roar and the plane lurched back up into the sky like we were rocketing through space. I clutched my seat as I was forced back and my eyes grew wide. My other crew member who must have sensed my sudden shock and fear looked across and reassured me of what this was. We had just performed a Go-Around which incidentally had been my first one. I quickly peered outside through the porthole to try and see if I could see the famous Gibraltar rock. All I could see was a thick, murky greyish-white colour when all of a sudden, the tip of the rock eerily appeared amidst all of the gloom and damp. The rock appeared for a mere few seconds before succumbing to its murky predator as we flew past it. The engines still roared and screamed as we jetted through the murky abyss below climbing higher and higher until we reached the comforts of the warm, brilliant sunshine above the clouds.