Hi there :-)

I mentioned somewhere on here that I was leaving for Sedona and that is exactly what I did. I fly quite frequently and have actually been flying since long before I can remember. My father is a pilot, his father was a pilot, his brother is a pilot, uncles, cousins, I am a pilot as well, but not in the military or for a commercial airline.

It was snowing at Sea-Tac on Saturday which was no big deal really. I was flying on Alaska Airlines which I have actually become quite fond of. Our plane took off over an hour late, but considering the weather it seemed great. I just wanted to be able to see some sunshine, ya know? Well, the plane finally took off and within a hundred feet off the ground the plane was surrounded by white clouds and you couldn't see anything outside the plane. Not unusual for take-offs in Seattle. Well, we were at full power, nose high, and approximately 2 1/2 -4 minutes into the flight. There was an explosion and a bright flash with what looked like blue flame and a loud boom. Everyone screamed and the plane began to roll to the right. I have flown in lots of bad weather, I am a skydiver and I am generally not a worriesome flyer. I, for the first time, actually thought that the gig was up.

Well, our plane was struck by lightning not long after take-off. A few years ago I may not have had the same thought process. Today, it's hard to say if it's mother nature letting you know who's in charge or if there is some Puma bomber on board. In the moment, it certainly seemed like an explosion that wasn't near one of the engines and with the plane starting to roll, it seemed like a BAD day. It all turned out alright. I'm in Sedona now and I will enjoy myself I'm sure.

Oh, in case anyone thinks it's dramatic, it was Alaska Air, flight 748 yesterday. Track down anyone on board or a crew member and they will have NO problem telling you what that particular flight was like!

Petra, I had just read your post about lightning, or it included lightning prior to leaving for the airport. There were no thunderstorms in our area. We had just been de-iced and took off in the snow. Yahoo! Anyway, I am anxious to explore this area and grateful to be here to do it. If anyone has any must see stuff in the area, please let me know. Take Care, Kate