First time for everything...

Some people say that there is a first time for everything... yesterday, as I was arriving into SF, I experienced a "first time experience".

First off, it's really troubling that there are no more flights that don't experience some kind of problem/delay/mistakes. And I am not talking about the hassle in the airport during security screening. As a frequent traveler, I actually don't have a problem with the airport security screenings, better safe than sorry. What I am talking about is what happens after the screening... especially the delays... 

Surprisingly, the flight I took departing out of Singapore departed TWENTY MINUTES EARLY. Yes, the departure time was supposed to be 8:20am but the flight left the gate at 8am. However, once we were inflight, we were informed that there was a tropical depression to the East of China and that we would be taking a slightly longer route. That ended up with the flight landing in Narita (Tokyo, Japan) ONE HOUR LATE. I rushed from my gate to the connecting flight which had almost completed boarding. The rest of the flight was was uninteresting.

One hour to landing in SFO:

Everything seems normal, no announcement.

15 mins to landing in SFO:

No announcements but I realize the plane is "circling"... several minutes after I had noticed the "circling", the pilot comes on to say that there is congestion due to weather and Air Traffic Control is making us stay in the air for awhile longer. Pilot estimates 15-20mins. 15mins later, pilot comes on to say that we will be delayed a little longer, maybe another 15-20mins. At about 45 mins after the first announcement, we proceed toward landing... good, I thought.

As we are reaching the final approach, which I have taken many, many times, and it's always the same approach at SFO, I looked out the window and spot the usual landmarks. However, as we are going by the San Mateo Bridge, I think to myself that we are too high. Usually, we are a lot lower  by the time we get to the San Mateo Bridge, as in, I can see things on the ground more clearly... just as I am thinking that, I hear the plane power up it's engine and I feel the plane ascend. It is a rather rocky ascend as it had been slowing down, and descending for the last who knows how long and so the entire plane starts "trembling" as the pilot ascends. After a short period of ascension, the pilot (don't know the terminology) stops accelerating and kind of cruises. It's at this point that the flight attendant comes on to say that we just had an ABORTED LANDING. I had never experienced an aborted landing previously and as mild as it sounds in my description, there was some point during this aborted landing that I asked myself... should I start saying my last prayers right now?? 

On the second final approach, the pilot did not seem to be able to keep the plane stable, most likely due to the wind. The plane kept swaying and ... well, we landed safely and I am posting this blog... so, there you go. First time for everything....