Do all of the recent plane crashes/airline mishaps make anyone uncomfortable?

[DipDipDive]

It seems as though there has been an abnormal amount of flight related tragedies and/or airline malfunctions in the past year. What gives? I've flown more than usual in the past few months, and for the first time in my life, it scares me a little. It never used to, I've always quite liked it, actually. But it's hard for me to get on a plane now without getting a tad nervous because of all the shit that's gone down recently...

[DipDipDive]

^ Fuck, that was an unfortunate (and unintentional) pun.

:(

[rirv]

The older I get the less sense aeroplanes make to me.

[b i o n i c]

im scared shitless of take offs and landings. ive had recurring dreams my whole life of planes crashing, really really vivid dreams. i actually think that the license to ill cover started it. i see gigantic 747's crashing in slow motion just far enough away from me to be safe, but close enough to be terrifyingly enormous. and that whirring sound gets louder and louder.

so yes, but not just now.

but im usually ok and really enjoy flying once i'm in the air a lot. i want to fly in a combat jet someday really bad. airports make me happy.

[Audio.]

I think when something shocking happens the news media stick to it because it makes the headlines. Imagine a great cruise line accident attracting lots of attention. The next 5 years the news will be reporting boat accidents more than they have before.

[DipDipDive]

The next 5 years the news will be reporting boat accidents more than they have before.

Like this? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Vikings_boat_party_scandal)

[TAL]

Less people have died so far this year in plane crashes compared to the same time last year.

[paul jones]

I've totally gone off flying anywhere anymore or just travel out of the country in general.All that security does my fucking head in too.People have to come and see me in future.I'll be down the pub playing computer golf.

[ms.peachy]

No, I've been uncomfortable for a long time already. But I fly anyway. I love valium.

[mikizee]

Well most crashes have occurred in shitty countries like Iran where they have an ageing Russian fleet of planes, they can't have american planes due to sanctions etc.

On the radio a couple of weeks ago on a current affairs program they interviewed some aviation expert on the whole thing, and they asked if he would get on a plane in eastern europe or africa or in the middle eastwhere they use these old russian planes and he said not on your nelly.

So as long as I'm not flying there I'm cool.

[Dorothy Wood]

I started getting nervous about flying when I was in my early 20's. now I don't really care if I die in a plane crash, there's really nothing I can do to prevent it, and there are a million other ways to die, so I don't sweat it.

[ToucanSpam]

Statistically, it is more dangerous to drive an automobile; I assume you use one of those fairly often. Think of it this way: in a plane crash you will die fairly fast, while in a car you may suffer for an extended period of time.


Ugh, actually forget that. Don't go outside.:(

[DipDipDive]

Think of it this way: in a plane crash you will die fairly fast

HAVE YOU NEVER SEEN LOST?? :mad:

[Bob]

HAVE YOU NEVER SEEN LOST?? :mad:

or ALIVE????

[mickill]

or ALIVE????

or MRS. DOUBTFIRE????

[na§tee]

i started to get uncomfortable about flying when i hit my late teens/20s. i've made a couple of threads going into it so i won't bother repeating it all.. it's never stopped me doing anything, though.

remember last year a sizeable HOLE appeared in a qantas plane from hong kong to melbourne and they had to make an emergency landing? that was the same flight number i had to travel 6 weeks later. NERVOUS.

it's the take off that irks me the most. once you're up and you're on a giant plane like a 747 it's really smooth. i have to spend another 24+ hours travelling to sydney next month so i'll just medicate with booze, really. i enjoy it when i'm up there, it's quite surreal after watching your millionth movie in a row and realising you still have, oh, about 18 more hours to go. the tiny little planes that still have ashtrays in the seats - i worry about them! plus three of my friends work in the aeronautical industry making something really tiny like, screws for the wings, and won't hesitate to tell everyone how we're all screwed (lol.. groan) if one of them is slightly out of place.

long haul flights, ugh. one of the worst things is the CONSTANT FUCKING FOOD.. they just feed you snacks and meals all the time so you won't leave your seat, i'm sure of it. please, go away! i don't want anymore noodles and bread or dimsum and bread or chicken and bread or pasta and bread and biscuits and chocolate *barf*

[Helvete]

I'm quite happy with flying, I do it often so I have to be! Big planes are no problem, it's small, shitty planes which I don't like. When I went skydiving a while back I realised it was the plane I hated more than the jump.

[trailerprincess]

I enjoy flying too much to let it bother me.

[b i o n i c]

@nastee: a fe of my uncles are airplane/jet mechanics in the airforce and i've always been told that everything is "double engineered" or something like that.. like there are "two screws" for everything that needs one. i dont know if thats true or if they just tell me that because i bug out about em

[Kid Presentable]

Planes do a lot of work. It's easy to forget how much can happen to your plane before you board it. Although unlikely to be repeated (due to rigour in modern safety checks and repair procedures), JAL 123 is the biggest airline crash in terms of fatalities aboard a single plane, and it was due to a fault that occurred something like 3 years prior to the crash. Nuts.

So the recet spate of media coverage has gotten me really into Black Box recordings. Here's JAL 123 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-FE4ufeg_g). The rear bulkhead ripped off shortly after takeoff (meaning no tail), and the plane was uncontrollable. Hit the side of a mountain, as you'd expect. Crazy o listen to, the poor fuckers.

There was an interesting black box recording I listened to a while back (can't find it) where the pilots actually knew the ice had fucked their instruments, and they went ahead anyway. I think it was the Washington crash in the early 80s, went into a river or something.

I think if you're going to go you're going to go, and you could only hope that a calming sense of knowing would wash over you when the winged tube you're sitting in hurtles toward the ground faster than your stomach. In all likelihood you would probably shit in your pants enough to touch the top of your socks, and cry for your mother. But oh well. I'd like to be a commercial pilot. My Dad flew Lancasters in WW2, and flew small aircraft recreationally, so I guess it's in my blood. Would be interesting

[Kid Presentable]

This is only a simulation but still nuts. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CIAXOq9pwI) The plane flips over for no reason (rudder) and then decides "Fuck it, lets hit the ground". Harsh. Happened to another one before they fixed it. So, in many cases, they don't know what they're looking for, and it takes fatal crashes to fix these problems.

I do worry about Airbus being the major provider, particularly with how many of their planes are falling out of the sky. And also about how many of the major airlines were forced to stretch out their maintenance schedules to maintain profits during this economic climate, but they may just be ducktales.

Oh I have had the same dream as Bionic, for years now, but recurring quite sporadically. It started when I was 13, I'm always standing outside whichever house I'm living in at the time, watching a huge fucking plane hit the ground and it's loud as shit. The last time I had it was in early 08. And I am sad, but awestruck everytime, because I'm usually close enough to see rivets and shit.

[kaiser soze]

Nothing beats looking out the window and watching the clouds float by underneath you.

ok, really good lasagna beats that.

[Adam]

I didn't have a problem with flying until this thread.

When I did my skydive I was more nervous by the plane to. But up until a few years after that skydive, I wouldn't do another. I'm also more nervous of heights now to. But planes get me off this island, I can't help but love them

[Echewta]

I love flying and enjoy meeting new people. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvYbGU1KIa0&feature=related)

Though I'm very comfortable on a plane, I assume if I heard the same, I would be the guy in the lower right corner at the end. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vosq85B_lMk&feature=related)

[paul jones]

I love flying and enjoy meeting new people. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvYbGU1KIa0&feature=related)

Though I'm very comfortable on a plane, I assume if I heard the same, I would be the guy in the lower right corner at the end. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vosq85B_lMk&feature=related)

funniest film ever(y)

[HAL 9000]

So far this year, there have been 18 accidents involving loss of life on an airliner with a total of 693 fatalities.

The total for 2008 was 32 accidents and 616 fatalities with the ten year average being 32 accidents and 865 fatalities.

So this year has seen a fairly typical number of accidents but quite a high number of deaths. Without wanting to go into confidence levels, it looks to me like this is basically a normal year for air traffic safety but with the single Air France crash skewing the death stats to make it look worse than it is. Nothing to suggest flying is more dangerous this year than last.

[Kid Presentable]

....and don't call me Shirley.

[kaiser soze]

That scene from Fight Club always freaks me out

[gbsuey]

I'm taking my kids on a plane for the first time later this year and it's a long flight so yeah,i'm a bit petrified. have checked we're not on an airbus 330 although i'm sure that really makes little difference! have quite enjoyed flying in the past-except one time i thought we were too low over the sea that the engines were in the water, churning out the white water i could see emerging from the wing, until we moved on a bit and i could see the boat beneath us!

Just don't like the helplessness of it-i can't protect my kids if anything happens. And i gotta look after them so can't just downer my way there!