I mean, SERIOUSLY?

[pointblank]

I fly like a once every two years...and I don't fly well...I am flying from STL to San Francsisco and back in one week and this is what I have had to hear about in the news for the past week:

Madrid, Spain crash:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/2612967/Madrid-plane-crash-British-womans-miracle-escape.html

Vegas Crash:

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8883721&nav=168Y

MOAB Utah crash:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gjocCPmhqj7ENiUdwTNUWWYvym6AD92OIUB80

and now I open up MSNBC.com and see this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26378754/

Now, I am not a superstitious person at all, but CMON with this shit.

Am I just noticing the news about these incidents becasue its on my mind...or are 4 crashes in the news in 2 weeks a lot?

Please help -

signed...a nervous flyer

:puke:

[peacebird]

1. it's a LOT of crashes in a two week period... so your odds against a crash are great!

:hug:

[billyoc]

2. Flying is safer than driving.

Unless they beat you up and send you to Guantanamo Bay.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. They happen all the time -- several a day (non-airline).

Usually small aircraft, mostly nonfatal, but there are a lot of accidents. Look here: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/month.asp

Just to clarify -- don't mean to be scary. Non-fatal private aircraft accidents happen pretty often. Airline accidents are extremely rare.

[dkf]

7. Hmm. I don't think that helps our nervous flyer here.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. The accidents are almost entirely general aviation (private aircraft).

Airline flying is about as safe as sleeping in your own bed.

[Mz Pip]

4. Take drugs.

That's what I do. Then I don't care if the damn plane goes down. :-)

It will be fine. You have a higher probability of getting in a crash on the way to the airport than on your flight to San Francisco.

I'm going to shut up now. I don't think I'm being too helpful.


We're having pretty decent weather out here, but bring a down parka just in case.

[lame54]

6. Like the pilots

[lame54]

5. Anything about Air Force One?

[sofa king]

9. My rule used to be one beer for each fifteen minutes in the air.

If you know your limit pretty well, be aware that the cabin pressurization seems to intensify the effects, so it's wise to leave off the last two or three.

Also, small aircraft often do not have functional bathrooms.

Marijuana would be better, but it takes so long to go through processing that it wears off before you leave the ground. Brownies would probably work really well, though--just don't forget to eat 'em all before you enter the airport!

[bushmeister0]

10. And that's just what the pilot takes to calm down!

[sofa king]

15. Yeah, I quit being a passenger plane pilot when I quit drinking.

Heh. Just kidding. I'm still a pilot.

No! I'm kidding about that, too!

[AlCzervik]

11. you're going to be fine. I don't mind flying at all otherwise i'd be stuck here all the time.

[bushmeister0]

12. There are 87, 000 flights in the US everyday

according to wiki answers, so 4 doesn't seem like much.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Flights_daily_in_US

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. The more important point is what kind of flights they are.

As I pointed out before, almost all accidents involve private aircraft, which involve a lot fewer safety features, redundant systems, etc., and are often flown by less-experienced pilots. If you are flying on an airline you are safer than if you are driving your own car.

[bbinacan]

14. Do what I do. Get there early and

hit the bar.:beer:

[Buns_of_Fire]

17. It's the OOOOOOONLY way to fly!

If I time it right, I can be nicely lubricated before the boarding call, be asleep by takeoff, and not wake up again until after the landing when the hustle and bustle of everyone hauling their Ski-Doos out of the overhead bins wakes me up.

The downside: Then I've REALLY got to find a bathroom REAL BAD.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

16. You're odds have improved if you think about it......

It also helps to avoid any suspicious airline companies in far off lands.......the one that crashed today wasn't supposed to be operating.