Don’t you hate gawker slowdowns? Don’t you hate when you’re just as guilty as everyone else?
What is our facination with everything but the road in front of us? Do we think that our lives will be enriched if we can catch a glimpse of a mangled body beside an accident site? Do we really have to try and figure out why the guy over there is in cuffs?
I can’t answer any of those questions. But I was in a very unique (to me) gawker slowdown last night. My brother, my mom, and I were heading down 494 towards the TGI Fridays near the MoA to meet Matt and Jenny and the kids and my dad for dinner before Brian flew back to LA. As we drove by the Best Buy Headquarters up in the sky we saw a 747 (or possibly an Airbus A340) just floating above our heads. It had just taken off from the airport and was slowly turning to it’s route. It was obvious that no one on the road (which had been moving very nicely for 5:45pm) could keep their eyes off of it as the speed dropped significantly. Of course I didn’t mind because I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it either. A plane that big as low as it was looked pretty darn impressive and it just looked like it was turning impossibly slowly and that it should just be falling out of the sky.
It was neat.

I work in an office very near to Prestwick Airport. 747s take off from there all the time - it’s the only airport in Scotland where it’s allowed. A dual-carriageway sits right at the end of the runway and I have lost count how many times I have shit myself when a jumbo “falls out the sky” just as you described. It’s scary exhilirating stuff!
Comment by newplanet — Wednesday, August 10, 2005 @ 5:45 pm
I’m glad that someone knows what I mean. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more of those than I have. Steve and I used to live in an apartment close to the airport and right in the path of many flights.
Comment by Brenden Johnson — Wednesday, August 10, 2005 @ 5:50 pm