14 days

That is true. I time the roll. If you go pass 35 secs. and you have not began to rotate, then it time to pray -- out loud.

Having logged about 4 million air miles, I learned long ago that from take off to landing is out of my control so I just sit back and read. "Que Sera, Sera."

Statistically safer than entering a freeway onramp.

I say the Lord's Prayer on takeoff too, Melody. Repeatedly. I don't do it on landing, probably because I'm engrossed in a book. Maybe I should.

Thank you, Carroll. I was beginning to feel paranoid. :)

Often I'm already asleep on take-off. Something about the sound of jet engines makes me drowsy. It's all in God's hands, like the rest of life.

Melody, It sounds like I'm in the minority here. During takeoff I enjoy the sensation of being pushed back in the seat during acceleration, and always wish I was in an F-18 instead. During landings I'm often a bit "groggy" after a long flight, but start to mentally review the "arrival sequence" - making sure I don't forget something in the overhead bin, getting through Passport control, collecting my luggage and finding the transport to get to my Hotel or next stop. Cheers!

I started this thread with humor in mind. However, just my thoughts here... Yes, of course I offer prayers of thanks for "incident-free" flights. Blame God for the ones that aren't? No. Didn't pray "hard enough"? Not possible. Prayer requires faith, and fairh can be tiny, "as a mustard seed" and still move mountains.
Bad things happen because of sin. You can count on them happening. That doesn't mean God is the bad meanie, or that any individual is responsible.

I read a book until take-off begins and then I like to look out the window. Same with landing. I love watching the landscape from the plane. Edit: almost forgot to mention, that I also lift up on the armrests to help the plane get into the air. So far it has worked.

Hahaha, Jo! I do the same thing!

Like Tex, the engines put me to sleep. If I am awake, then like Chris, I'm thinking, "Did I lock the door? Empty the dishwasher?" Etc. etc. But when I was on a four-seat charter that flew through the aftermath of a summer thunderstorm (big scary turbulence...teeny, tiny aircraft), I started in on the prayers pretty hard. (After landing, the pilot asked if I needed to come inside for a "snort" before driving home.)

Before kids, I would hold on to my husband's arm with tourniquet-like tightness (a bit awkward for the guy next to me when traveling alone), but once we had kids, I figured that wasn't a good set-up for them. So now I either read to them or look out the window with them.

I say to myself, "Thank goodness! I get to fly again!"

Hopefully, I'll have timed the ambien dose correctly and already be asleep.

When the aircraft rotates and takes off is usually the point where I start thinking "Crap, did I turn off all the lights? Did I lock the front door??"

I too read until takeoff and then I look out the window until we reach cruising altitude. I love being able to see a whole city and the surrounding countryside from the air. What I think during takeoff depends on how long I've been waiting. If we've been on the plane for an hour before takeoff, I think, "FINALLY, let's get this show on the road!" If everything is on time and we taxi to the runway and take off, I still think, "Finally! I get to get out of my city/state/country again and go somewhere new or exciting." For landings, I just hope that the landing is smooth (and of course that we arrive in one piece). I like sitting by the window to look out and it also helps during rough landings, because I can keep my eye on the ground and horizon (something steady).

James, I say the Lord's prayer because it is comforting and it calms me. It also helps me focus on what is really important. (It's not about me, and it's not about my vacation.) I don't presume to know why things happen the way they do. But I doubt that God is sitting up in heaven counting the number of Lord's prayers coming from each plane and making decisions based on that.