Why I don’t fly any more [besides the $ thing]
Mar 12th, 2004 by bornfamous
MOCK PA ANNOUNCEMENTS: Passengers are advised that tonight’s flight from Sydney to London does pose a health risk. To save fuel, half the air you’ll be breathing during your flight will be recirculated and there is a risk that airborne viruses will not be caught by the filters that recycle your air.
Welcome on board ladies and gentlemen. We wish to advise your cabin will have considerably less oxygen than air at sea level, thickening your blood and exposing some of you, some studies say, to an increased risk of blood clots that can cause strokes.
We particularly welcome our frequent fliers and wish to advise any who might be pregnant that on this flight their foetus will be irradiated with the equivalent of three chest X-rays. We hope you enjoy your flight.
One Response to “Why I don’t fly any more [besides the $ thing]”
Ok, I read the thing. I’ve been in the airline / aircraft business for about 30 years, and sure there are aircraft that have faulty air bleed systems. But and this is important, the captains in the article did not get it fixed, thats a human issue. I’ve been on the BA146 and its a smokey beast alright, but it was designed for short haul filghts, like 20 to 30 minutes.
The problem is that they use it for more than hour flights thats when the fumes build up.
The disease thing, well thats just people, sick people should not inflict the diseases they have on others thats the issue, not an aeroplane. The same happens on a bus or train. And in a office building too.
As for the radiation, the BA146 would not be used on those routes, its just to small. So the question then is what is the reason for the radiation? Its the height, the higher you fly the more you get, but in addition the higher you fly the faster you can go so there is a trade-off there, fly slow low, or fly faster higher.
The air pressure thing, so what? It just the same as climbing a mountain, except you are sitting. The pressure altitude in most aircraft is set to 8000 feet, which is below the limit allowed by law of 10,000. and 12,000 for short periods.
Now I know all these things because I was in the Airforce for 10 years as a maintenance engineer, and a student pilot for 10 also, and have flown in two countries myself. As a computer / telecommunictaions tech I have flown more than 100 times, to destinations in the pacific, and about 15 or so in the cockpit while testing equipment on take off and landing.
Everything we do has some risk involved, its just something you need to take into account when you decide to go someplace. You could take a cruise ship, but they have other problems.
I look at it this way: I would fly to Mars, knowing full well that I could not comeback, due to the radiation. The same to alpha century, I would put my hand up to go tomorrow, at near the speed of light even, just to be the first. And there is no return from that one.
Its not how long you live that counts its how much you do that counts.
Blessed be. BFG