[rotorhead]

I caught a Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight out of Riyadh on Sep 18 one week after the attacks in the USA. The pilot (at night) took off and leveled at 2000' and turned over the city. I nearly ***** myself, I had been flying military aircraft out of that area for a while and the standard departure was definately a straight ahead climb to 4000' and an opposite turn towards the gulf.

I came very very close to kicking in the cockpit door. I was yelling at the flight attendant and everyone was looking at me.

Turns out the the FO simply turned the wrong way and the captain completed a 270deg level turn by hand before overflying the field and departing. (Still screams poor airmanship)

It still gives me shivers for a number or reasons.