who was asking about the most memorable experience on an airplane?

Answer 1

On April 12, 1981, the space shuttle Columbia was supposed to launch on her maiden voyage. The launch had been postponed several times for technical reasons. On that day, I was supposed to leave for Helsinki, Finland on an emergency business trip. I was sitting in my living room on pins and needles hoping that NASA would be able to launch before I had to leave for the airport. They did. It was a beautiful launch. I recall shedding a tear or two of pride.

I left immediately for the airport and boarded a FinnAir flight to Helsinki. It was a long flight and FinnAir flies very high to get as much fuel economy as possible. I looked out the window most of the time.

It was very clear. Looking down, I could very easily see the curvature of the Earth. Lookup up, I could see the violet color of the sky. I wondered what John Young and Robert Crippen were seeing from their point of view in Columbia and wondered if their orbit intersected our course. (It didn't.) It was a very beautiful and peaceful experience.