The big airliner glided in on final approach
for a landing at Beijing. Windows showed nothing
but cloud. Drop-down displays
showed altitude falling, engine notes
fell to a whisper. Forward of the wings
we couldn’t hear the flaps, but we heard
the ‘thunk’ as landing gear deployed.
Fuselage swayed slightly, shook a bit.
Then the engines roared and we lurched back up.
The pilot’s calm voice said because of poor visibility
we would go around and come back
from the Northern approach, slightly clearer.
And that’s what happened; we landed,
shaken a bit, still very tired from the long flight.
Our introduction to Chinese smog,
a scary go-around, and the 5 Ups:
Power Up, Nose Up, Gear Up, Flaps Up, Speak Up.
Colin Will
03/03/2013
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