The 17th of July was a day after my birthday and the day before the National Mandela Day. I booked a one way first class flight to Karagandy Airport, Russia for my first year military engineering and aviation internship.

“Hello! This Austin Thokoane. I would like to book a one-way first class flight to Karagandy Airport.”

“Sir, can I have your identity and passport number, please,” She replied.

I gave her the information and she told me stay on the line for a few seconds. Before the call ended I had received my on-line flight and ticket confirmation and departure date. I would fly the following day! I started packing and went to buy a few items to take on the trip.

By morning, I was at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, waiting for the flight inspection to be done. An hour later, we were called to board the plane; the inspection was complete.

I took my bags and stepped in an airbus for the first time.

“Sir, can we see your ticket?” The air hostess asked. I pulled out my phone and showed her. “Your seat is number 156.”

A few minutes later there was an announcement from the cockpit.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please fasten your seat belts. This is your pilot, Victor Borque and I’m with my second pilot Sammy Juke. Flight 217 is ready for departure and unfortunately due to the weather conditions this is going to be an eighteen-hour flight. If you need any help, the hostesses are at your disposal. Relax, sit back and enjoy your flight.”

The engine was fired up and the airbus took to the runway until it gained altitude.

I murmured to myself, “Russia here I come.” I took out my phone to send my mother a short message.

“Sir, please switch off your phone, it could disturb the flight.”

I wondered how phone network signals could affect the flight balance. Technology! I pulled out a small novel, written by one of my late greatest African authors, Chinua Achebe and started reading. I was disturbed by a loud laughter of my seat mate. He wore a dull brown leather jacket and a pair of Daniel Hector jeans and was watching a comedy television show. I thought it rude to tell him to keep his laughter down so I raised my hand for the hostess,

“Hey madam, can you please get me a pair of earphones?” I said.

“They are under your seat.” She said with a smile.

I found them and silenced my neighbour’s laughter.

Four hours passed and not even a single announcement was made. I was now starving and almost every passenger was asleep, except for two guys who were seated at ninety-three. I called the hostess and ordered two plates of rice and mango juice.

“Are you really going to finish two plates of rice?” She asked with a flabbergasted tone.

“I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Please forgive me.”

Twenty seven minutes and thirty six seconds was my record time for the meal. Then I asked for the toilet. When I came back I took a nap. I must’ve slept a short while before I was woken by a horrible baby scream. It was a scream of a baby girl who seemed to have had a horrible nightmare. Her scream was then followed by loud BOOM sound from below.

Then all lights went out.

We all panicked, even the hostesses, though they were trying to comfort us. It was obviously scary being in the dark especially in mid-air.

“Ladies and gentlemen, no need to panic; it’s just a poor connection. It will be all over soon.” She said over the intercom.

Less than two long minutes in the dark, the lights came back.

“Ladies and gentlemen, sorry about that; it was just a silly rat which broke the secondary power cable. It won’t happen again.”

I got startled. How could a first class flight be bad like this? I thought it would be the best. And why would they tell us that there are rats on the flight? What if they ate another cable? From the light down experience and the kind of fear which grew inside me, I wondered what would be next. Perhaps it would be worse than this.

I decided to stay awake till morning. I didn’t want to miss a single detail of my first time in an airbus. I switched on my television set and plugged in my earphones.

***

Tell us what you think: How was the first time you flew on a plane? If you haven’t, how do you imagine it would be like?