Fear of Flying
Planning to fly home for the lebaran holiday? Better book your ticket now. Or maybe you are too late already.
But before you do fly, you probably want to know this.
This is from the Economist [1]:
Remember the in-flight announcements you hear when you are about to fly? Apparently, they are not entirely truthful.
Like this one:
'Your life-jacket is under your seat, and you need to wear it in the event of a landing on water'.
Great. Except:
In the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero.
Hmm. So it's not really a life-jacket. It's just a jacket really. In loud color. Clash with your armani, but hey.
And this one:
'Mobile phones must be switched off because they interfere with the aircraft's navigation systems'.
Not true, because:
the real reason to switch them off is because they interfere with mobile networks on the ground.
On most flights a few mobile phones are left on by mistake, so if they were really dangerous....
Hmm. But of course. If they were really dangerous, the pilots won't risk their own life by letting the plane off the ground...
So the next time a stewardess ask you firmly to switch off your phone on board the plane, you know it's bull.
But not all of them are. Like when the crew points out the emergency exits? You better pay attention. To know in advance where they are may save your life.
And the seatbelts. Turbulance can be ugly, and yes, it can happen even when the 'fasten your seatbelt' light is off.
So buckle up at all times.
Oh, back to the life-jacket. A letter from a reader on the following week's edition of the Economist said [2]:
The bright-yellow life-jackets are not intended to act as flotation devices. They are there to make it easier for the recovery services to spot the bodies strewn accross rough terrain.
Great.
And remember the emergency-landing position that we are told to do? The sitting with your head down low and hands behind your head?
the advice to adopt a head-down fetal position in the event of a crash landing does nothing to preserve life.
...
However, the position does tend to preserve dental data, useful for identifying dilapidated corpses.
Geez. That is one detail we don't mind not knowing...
Have a nice flight home !
(Check out the articles yourself. There is more fun info in there. The source is listed below.)
-----
Source:
[1] The Economist Sept 9th - 15th 2006, page 13
[2] The Economist Sept 23rd - 29th 2006, page 16
But before you do fly, you probably want to know this.
This is from the Economist [1]:
Remember the in-flight announcements you hear when you are about to fly? Apparently, they are not entirely truthful.
Like this one:
'Your life-jacket is under your seat, and you need to wear it in the event of a landing on water'.
Great. Except:
In the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero.
Hmm. So it's not really a life-jacket. It's just a jacket really. In loud color. Clash with your armani, but hey.
And this one:
'Mobile phones must be switched off because they interfere with the aircraft's navigation systems'.
Not true, because:
the real reason to switch them off is because they interfere with mobile networks on the ground.
On most flights a few mobile phones are left on by mistake, so if they were really dangerous....
Hmm. But of course. If they were really dangerous, the pilots won't risk their own life by letting the plane off the ground...
So the next time a stewardess ask you firmly to switch off your phone on board the plane, you know it's bull.
But not all of them are. Like when the crew points out the emergency exits? You better pay attention. To know in advance where they are may save your life.
And the seatbelts. Turbulance can be ugly, and yes, it can happen even when the 'fasten your seatbelt' light is off.
So buckle up at all times.
Oh, back to the life-jacket. A letter from a reader on the following week's edition of the Economist said [2]:
The bright-yellow life-jackets are not intended to act as flotation devices. They are there to make it easier for the recovery services to spot the bodies strewn accross rough terrain.
Great.
And remember the emergency-landing position that we are told to do? The sitting with your head down low and hands behind your head?
the advice to adopt a head-down fetal position in the event of a crash landing does nothing to preserve life.
...
However, the position does tend to preserve dental data, useful for identifying dilapidated corpses.
Geez. That is one detail we don't mind not knowing...
Have a nice flight home !
(Check out the articles yourself. There is more fun info in there. The source is listed below.)
-----
Source:
[1] The Economist Sept 9th - 15th 2006, page 13
[2] The Economist Sept 23rd - 29th 2006, page 16
posted by Indonesia Anonymus | 3:31 PM
15 Comments:
Hi... This is a very great blog..
Keep up the good work !!
Anyway, I remember my father once said, 'Once you board a plane, you're risking your life. It's like you have to be prepared to die.'
And now I'm reading this post, i'm beginning to think it's true then, LOL ...
OMG, harus menangis atau ketawa? Very scary indeed , great blog dear...
Wow, thanks for the info. BTW, I will celebrate 'lebaran' in Bandung with my family. Wish me a safe journey, will you?
nCy . vLa, kuala lumpur,
thank you.
~tanty~,
Have a safe journey indeed.
It seems our post has made flying sounds scary. That is not our intention, really.
Flying is still safer than driving -- at least statistically.
So ~tanty~, don't worry and enjoy your holiday in Bandung !
Alright there ...
This is certainly not helping for me to overcome my flying anxiety for my upcoming trip next Monday to the western part of the country ...
I should've warned myself not to continue reading after seeing the title.
Whoaaaa ...
**still hoping those reasons on the life jackets and all are not the ONLY reason**
Wish me a safe trip, yes ?
I had better skip the plane. Now, if only the other modes of transport are not as dangerous... :)
You'll be fine, silverlines.
Don't worry.
"still hoping those reasons on the life jackets and all are not the ONLY reason?"
Of course not. Life jackets for example come with flashlights. Those can be very handy, right?
(but then again the flashlight will only work when it is under water...)
Whoaaaa.. jadi takut naik pesawat nih,hopefully all those reason won't stop me to fly home. That's the only way to get there.
For me, flying is just like sitting on a dentist chair, it'll be extremely painful, atau sebaliknya... no pain at all.. and yes my heart always beats like crazy, thinking about the worst 'pain' LOL
What a bunch of lies! FYI in the following water landings life jackets saved lifes:
* In 2002, Garuda Indonesia 425 (a Boeing 737) successfully ditched into the Bengawan Solo River near Yogyakarta, Java Island after experiencing a twin engine flameout during heavy precipitation and hail. The pilots tried to restart the engines several times before taking the decision to ditch the aircraft. Of the 60 occupants, one, a flight attendant, was killed.
* In 2005, Tuninter 1153 (an ATR 72) ditched off the Sicilian coast after running out of fuel. Of 39 aboard, 20 survived with injuries including serious burns. The plane's wreck was found in three pieces.
* In 1996, Ethiopian 961 (a 767-200ER) ditched in shallow water 500 meters from land after being hijacked and running out of fuel. Unable to operate flaps, it impacted at high speed, dragging its left wingtip before tumbling and breaking into three pieces. The panicking hijackers were fighting the pilots for the control of the plane at the time of the impact, which caused the plane to roll just before hitting the water, and the subsequent wingtip hitting the water and breakup are a result of this struggle in the cockpit. Of 175 onboard, 52 survived. Some passengers were killed on impact or trapped in the cabin when they inflated their life vests before exiting. Most of the survivors were found hanging onto a section of the fuselage that remained floating.
* In 1970, Antillean 980 (a DC-9-33CF) ditched in mile-deep water after running out of fuel during multiple attempts to land at SXM under low-visibility weather. Of 63 occupants, 40 survivors were recovered by U.S. military helicopters.
* In 1963, an Aeroflot Tupolev 124 ditched into the River Neva after running out of fuel. The aircraft floated and was towed to shore; all 52 onboard survived.
* In 1956, Pan Am 943 (a Boeing 377) ditched into the Pacific after losing two of its four engines. The aircraft was able to circle around USCGC Pontchartrain until daybreak, when it ditched; all 31 onboard survived.
Clearly you can't get your facts right.
Hey,
I want to know where Garuda get off charging you a fare (granted discounted) for a 7 week old baby..
He doesn't eat, mom nurses him ..bastards
honestly, i don't care about those facts and still have no problem to fly... :))
Hey Anonymous, did you read the first part of this post? It clearly says: "This is from the Economist"... So they didn't invent or make up any facts! If you want to lash out your anger to someone, contact the Economist will you!
In my opinion, it's up to you to believe what the Economist says... and I agree with Santy, if it's your time, then there's nothing you can do about it!
Be positive... and have a Happy Idul Fitri everyone!
One thing I forgot to write is that even though I don't like the fact that Anonymous lashed out on Indonesia Anonymous, I would like to thank him/her for what he/she wrote cause it shows very positive outcomes of plane accidents!
Happy Eid Mubarak Indonesian!
Gelukkig suikerfest
Taqaballahu Minna wa Minkum
rgds!
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