I'm sure you have noticed that Southwest has recently received a lot of attention in the news. From faulty aircraft, to non-existent safety checks, to a corrupt, unregulated agency, the FAA, the airline industry has been dominating headlines.I don't know why I even bother to fly anymore because if you look at it from a safety standpoint, it's really not worth the risk. I just try not to think about it. However, there are airlines that I would absolutely never put my family or friends on.
Statistics show that much of the general population is so disgruntled with the way airlines operate that they would rather drive than go through the hassle of going to the airport, getting searched by the TSA, and then getting on an airplane that may or may not be safe.
Aside from the aircraft maintenance issue, the pilots we have flying around are just as bad. If you fly on a regional airline such as Continental Express or Northwest Airlines, Mesaba or Pinnacle, you are most likely being flown around by a 20 year old pilot who has the equivalent of a high school diploma in "how to fly an airplane." Now, don't get me wrong, in some professions, experience outweighs a formal degree. However, in aviation, I would feel much more comfortable being on an airplane with a pilot who understands MORE than just flipping switches over one who only knows that "if I flip this switch, this happens," but not why it happens.
3 comments:
Thanks for the thoughts, Kristin. Coming from someone who works in the airline industry, this is pretty scary indeed.
In a sense you kind of have to admire the world's people for being so willing to fly. In order to get such a massive device perpetually airborne you have to construct it of a light enough material to keep the weight down, which defies all logic in that you'd typically want to be better fortified in case of an accident. Seeing as people are voluntarily hurtling their bodies at speeds reaching 550mph I don't doubt the desire for safety. As a species we are really only designed to go a maximum speed of 27-28mph.
Often we're confronted with a gradation on merits of courage. History has given high praise to explorers and pioneers, those willing to take incredible risks to achieve incredible gains. In a sense we're all being incredibly cavalier with our lives on a plane. Yes, I understand the aerodynamics and the relative stability of the physics of flight. I also understand the relative safety of flying compared with various modes of transportation. Really though, how much can go wrong without suffering disastrous consequences when you're suspended at 30,000ft going 550mph.?
Personally, I've uttered the "I'd rather drive" phrase a few times recently, mostly after bouts of bad turbulence. At that altitude and velocity it just doesn't seem worth it. Of course little does when you're faced with the brevity of your own mortality.
I was going to write some lyrics about the psychology of flying for the Music Lyric Throwdown, but then I remembered that Jets To Brazil already wrote it back in 2000. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYHqEZgjZXk
We've all had these thoughts, and I'll get you started with one from the song:
"It's hard to fly if you don't believe all the time."
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