5 Myths About Airline Turbulence

safety

Look dawn , i don't know about America but i do know aircraft and airlines and i can say with much certainty that flying is as safe as it can be . Oh and as for a previous comment from Jeff , even us young pilots have to start out somewhere and on my first week in job i was paired up with a captain of 20 years experience and before my first job i was a qualified flight instructor for two years to build up my hours. To date i am 24 years old and am type rated on 737ng and A320's and have logged over 3000 flying hours between personal flying and commercial. I might have made the occasional rough landing but everyone has to learn (and my learning took me 14months to get from ppl to commercial in uk). If none of us young pilots got to fly the airline business would soon no longer exist.

patrickA @ Apr 17, 2008 16:32:42 PM

Safety On Planes

Wow this stuff is scary people, I had no idea this was and is going on, what can we do to make it better? I thought that was why we have the F.A.A. and I have to fly to Seattle in June YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!! someone make me feel better, but only if it's the truth.

Dawn of UT @ Apr 17, 2008 12:04:33 PM

airlines/public

I could understand it if airlines did not like the public. The public want the lowest prices and top notch service and do not treat airline employees that well. Spoiled Americans, contributing to burning off our fossil fuels to fly, self centered. They do not realize all that airlines go through to get that airliner, maintain it, pay the crew, airport runway fees, tracking luggage. And there are things airlines cannot do anything about like weather, occasional mechanical problem thus a delay.

A Casavant of ND @ Apr 17, 2008 11:50:45 AM

aircraft maint/pilots

i have been a pilot here in the UK for 2 years now and i have to say that the situation does not seem to be as bad here as it is in in America. It all comes down to the fact of economy , at the moment the european and uk economy is strong and i earn about $70,000 for a years work , i know some U.S pilots who have been flying longer than i have who dont earn as much as that. Also the maintenance of aircraft is always paramount to any company , planes carshing means insurance claims , law suits and bad press , no company wants that , plus if the aircraft was unsafe and not up to spec do you really think the pilot would fly it . I certainly would'nt.

PatrickA @ Apr 17, 2008 11:39:45 AM

Aircraft maint/pilots

JohnS of WA is absolutely correct. It's all going downhill in a hurry. If you must fly, at least stay clear of the smaller regional/commuter carriers like Mesa. Anybody can look up the pilot minimums out there on the internet that these carriers use to sort out the resumes of pilots that they'll interview. The problem is that with the wages being so terribly low, they can't get experienced pilots to apply. Some of the training is a joke as well. Don't get me wrong now. Some of the companies do a fine job of hiring qualified pilots and the training they provide once hired is pretty good stuff. However, compare our training here in the U.S. to that of the carriers over in Japan. We typically take around 5-8 weeks to run a pilot through company and aircraft specific training here in the U.S. at "Acme Airlines". In Japan, the training programs run 5-8 months!! I believe that to overkill but maybe somewhere in the middle isn't a bad idea. Some of these pilots being hired at the smaller carriers here in the U.S. have less time in the cockpit than they do behind the wheel of the beat up clunker they drove to the airport. Many of them are only 20-22 years old and If the general public would educate themselves a bit, they'd never get on that airplane with the inexperienced people up front flying them. I was there once, but I flew with experienced pilots next to me charged with the Pilot in Command duties until I gained the appropriate level of experience. Anymore, both pilots are of the lowest "legal" experience level. Just because it's legal doesn't make it smart.

Jeff of NV @ Apr 17, 2008 11:17:39 AM

Aircraft maint/pilots

You think the skill levels of the mechanics have dropped (and you are absolutely correct), wait a few more years to see your new pilots. The guys that spend thousands and thousands of dollars pursuing a career in aviation are now being expected to work for wages that put them in the poor house.

The airlines like Mesa, hire anyone that will take the job. The guys you trust your life to are changing professions.

johnS of WA @ Apr 17, 2008 10:56:07 AM

Safety is not the priority anymore

I've been a professional pilot flying domestic here in the U.S. for over 10 years and I can say without a doubt, I don't trust the airline industry to look out for our safety anymore. Some of the things I've seen and heard from other pilots and mechanics working on these planes would send you running away from the airport. SAFETY needs to be THE number one concern and with no regard to cost. Even one life lost is unacceptable. These fat cat CEO's and the very high level management types at these airlines do not deserve the money they make to begin with and especially when they so obviously discount the importance of safety. Take some othe salary and bonus money away from these people and put it into what matters which is the safety of the airplanes and the people flying on them. Whenever possible, I drive because I simply don't like the experience anymore and I certainly don't trust the system from a safety standpoint. We haven't even touched on the terrible air traffic control system here but that's a discussion for another day.

Jeff of NV @ Apr 17, 2008 10:52:57 AM

Aviation Maintenance

To Daryl of GA - YOU sir do not know YOU are talking about. I had 33 years in the industry - got out for a few years then went back. The skill levels of the mechanics have dropped like the Titanic, the pressure to save money, cut costs & get it on time are enormous !! There are guys working on these planes I wouldn't let touch my lawnmower !! At this rate - AMTRAK's record will look mighty good in 5 or 10 years when these planes get older !!

Bill of TX @ Apr 17, 2008 10:26:59 AM