Posts Tagged "airplane"

…and people wonder why I don’t fly

Posted by on Oct 22, 2008 in Blog, My thoughts | 0 comments

My original and core reasons for refusing to fly on commercial airlines revolve around airport security.

But then I come across reports like this, and that crosses little regional airports and airlines off the list as well … I’ve taken a few flights between Green Bay and Milwaukee/Chicago on these little commuter planes. I never felt very comfortable on those flights, the planes were too freakin’ wobbly. Well. Turns out maybe there was a reason…

American Eagle is in danger of being kicked out of a key safety program by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) because the commuter airline repeatedly flew overloaded, potentially unsafe planes… FAA investigators found at least 19 cases where American Eagle planes took off despite being overweight or improperly balanced.

The pilot of the American Eagle flight, who asked not to be named, said he “had no idea” that [a 300 lb. metal maintenance staircase] was [unsecured] inside the cargo hold, and was “very upset” at the breakdown of the loading process.

“This was a serious safety concern for me,” said the pilot who took it upon himself to recalculate the weight and balance of the plane upon landing. The plane was found to be within the proper limits, despite the extra weight. The pilot later notified the FAA of the incident.

Source

Yeah. Gas up the car, babe… I’ll be there in a couple days. :)

I appreciate the pilot’s concern. That does make me feel a bit better, given that my Dad was a pilot for an eon and a half, and I know the tenacity with which he approached his work. He was completely (and sometimes overwhelmingly) aware that he had dozens upon hundreds of lives in his hands. I like to believe that most pilots are the Really Good Guys … they are also, incidentally, our final line of hope and defense in the air.

But it’s not the pilots who load the planes. Until we can get true control of all the nimrods who dip their hands in the airplane maintenance cookie jar, I’ve gotta tell ya’, I’m perfectly happy driving ……….. ##

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