Escape Velocity

A page on Northwestern University's web site explains that escape velocity is "the speed that an object needs to be traveling to break free of a planet or moon's gravity well and enter orbit".

For some reason, I felt a similar need to break free, to fight against unseen forces that were seemingly conspiring to keep me from departing the United States, and to finally get to Scotland. As I got on the plane in Philadelphia, I actually dared to hope that this would indeed be that breakaway. Finally, as we taxied away from the terminal, the tension built, until finally...

The captain came over the intercom, and explained that we were eighteenth in line to take off. EIGHTEENTH. Seriously. OK, so I'm thinking, WHY does the FAA allow the airlines to book so damn many airplanes to take off at the same time?

I lost track of time, mainly because I was trying not to worry... but after probably 30 minutes or so, we finally took off. Not long after that, we left U.S. airspace (ironically, on a U.S. Airways jet). So, now all I had to do was occupy myself for the next seven hours, and let the pilot and co-pilot do their jobs.

But, at last... I had indeed achieved escape velocity.