Your words capture my own recollections very well. People talk quietly if at all in the unnerving stroboscopic flickering ambience.
I recall especially the almost knock-the-wind-out-of-you whoompf of extreme buffeting.
Airplanes seem to be remarkably robust in that regard - the wings and tail don’t tear off during these episodes; nor do the engines tear themselves out of the wings, as much as it seems that is exactly what is happening!
What I fear most about flying is airports.
“What I fear most about flying is airports.”
I don’t mean crash-landing - I mean the TSA, parking, walking - just being there.
I used to love flying.