I Learned About Flying From That: Day of the Daffodils

Kirk Lacewell

Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 01:11 AM ET

Verified

Illustrated by Barry Ross

Key Takeaways:

The author vividly recounts the "Day of the Daffodils," an Easter Sunday flight during which he and his fiancée encountered severe and unexpected in-flight icing while flying from Louisville, Kentucky, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The icing accumulated to a critical level, freezing the horizontal stabilizer and requiring a forceful intervention to regain control, followed by an unconventional approach where ice violently shed from the aircraft during descent.
This terrifying experience, the author's first encounter with true fear, profoundly impacted his approach to aviation, leading to a lifelong commitment to meticulous flight planning, particularly regarding freezing levels.

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As I think back over my life, I can come up with only one day I remember. Really remember. Oh, I remember graduating from high school, but I don’t remember anything else about the day. I remember watching the birth of my daughter, but I have no idea what I had for breakfast on that day. My wedding was at noon, but all I can conjure up for that day is the ceremony itself. (Why do women cry at weddings?)

I remember the “Day of the Daffodils” clearly, from start to finish, even though I lived it more than 30 years ago.