How safe is flying? I had never flown in my life until January 2003 and I had to bring my ladyfriend home quick after a serious illness, so we flew from Basle to Manchester on cross air.

It was a wonderfull experience, uneventfull, nothing wrong I thoroughly enjoyed it, but now I am being asked to fly again and I am reluctant, being told "planes fly every day" it is quite safe, nothing to worry about.

My answer is cemeterys are full of people who thought that, pilot error, terrorists, bombs on board, suicide pilots, pieces falling off aircraft in mid flight, wiring in the plane bursting into flame, Hi-jacking, poor maintenance, crashing on take off and everyone on board being burnt alive.

When you are seven miles high in an aeroplane and some thing goes wrong, what chance have you ,as there are no parachutes, does one have to have a death wish to fly????

Can I have your opinions please???

We can't get my dad to fly either... he says EXACTLY the same as you! So, we have to go somewhere local on holiday, I know Skegness like the back of my hand!!!
Chloé

Originally posted by "halevan"


My answer is cemetery's are full of people who thought that, pilot error, terrorist's, bomb's on board, suicide pilot's, pieces falling off aircraft in mid flight, wiring in the plane bursting into flame, Hi-jacking, poor maintenance, crashing on take off and everyone on board being burnt alive.


If I recall correctly, Halevan, you drive a car. Cemeterys are full of people who thought that was safe, too. Think back over the last 10 years, there have probably been not more than a dozen plane crashes. So the odds of it happening to you are pretty low.

Flying is wonderful - it makes the world much smaller and gives us a chance to discover and enjoy far away places. I wonder how many people in the cemetry died thinking "I wish I'd....."?

Whats wrong with Skeggy.
I take the kids there twice a year as they love Butlins, though flying accidents are so rare that you are 1000s of times more chance of getting killed in a car accident. If you drive a car then the least of your worries are crashing in a plane.
My Grandad was a pilot he used to fly all the big stars like Buddy Holly, Jim Reeves Big Bopper, Pattsi Cline and Audey Murphy.

I wish Hal would learn how to use apostrophes correctly.

Thats a bit harsh, look at his original post, no apostophes.

Hal Flying is great, no need to worry, millions fly every day, you are more likey to die on a motorway.

Originally posted by "mikey"

Thats a bit harsh, look at his original post, no apostophes.
That's because I edited them out. We don't want everyone to think Mr. Evan's is uneducated do we?

(That rogue ' was deliberate BTW)

Originally posted by "Sidla"

I wish Hal would learn how to use apostrophes correctly.

I've been thinking that too... maybe everyone should read this:

http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk

:lol:

I think you'll find flying is statistically safer than sailing, driving, or walking.

M.

I have been in a plane - but was far too young to understand the implications of the journey ot method (about a few weeks old).

Since then I have never left the British Isles. I went across to Ireland on a boat. I'm not a boat person. Don't like the idea of all that water and me in the middle of it on a flimsy ship.

I guess the same is applied to the planes, but I don't know. We take risks everyday. Statiscally you are in more danger from falling down the stairs than from SARS.

I guess this doesn't really help, but IMHO if you have flown once with no problems and now get worried about it - there may be a reason. Wait a bit and see if it is the timing of being asked. Never know a few weeks later you may feel safer.

Moon Maiden

Why are we picking on Mr Evans?

Why are we picking on Mr Evans?

cos he asked for it??? You don't ask for opinions if you don't want to hear the answers.

Moon Maiden

Flying is definitely a safe form of transportation. As safe as any other anyway. Just because more people die in car accidents than in air accidents doesn't stop people from being scared of flying though. How many fatalities do you know of that resulted from house spiders. None, but that doesn't stop people being scared of spiders does it. Death doesn't neccesarily have to be the only reason that a person is scared of something. If you're scared of flying Halevan, then it is your perogitive to travel by other means.

Yeah, Sidla your a bully :wink: lets give hal some credit, he's probably the oldest poster on the forum and he may not be keen to fly but we want him to post, apostrophes and all !
Any more of this and we will have to put the apostrophe issue to a poll :lol:

While flying might be a safer form of transportation the chances of surviving any kind of accident are slim to none.

Flying is statistically the safest form of travel. I continually fly about 9 or 10 times a year, I feel much more comfortable flying than driving. I mean you're at risk with any form of travel, and there are way more road accidents than air per capita. It makes travelling to countries abroad way easier, but if the thought of flying scares you then don't do it, don't let it cost you a thought. :shock:

although statistically safer, if you do have an accident its more likely to be fatal in an aircrash.

Advice - always sit at the back of aircraft, they never fly backwards into mountains.

If the pilot puts 'L' plates on panic.

Try to sit over the wing, area on a plane most likely to float if going down over water - means the sharks will not get you :)

Originally posted by "Lickszz"

While flying might be a safer form of transportation the chances of surviving any kind of accident are slim to none.

My point exactly Lickszz.

Flying is wonderfull, I agree with you, I have done it, remember what I said, I enjoyed it, that is not in question.

IF YOU SURVIVE I am too young to die, I enjoy living too much to fly. Aeroplanes ARE NOT SAFE.

As regards what the other gentleman said about motoring being dangerous, yes, all kinds of travel can be fatal but there are different degrees of risk.

I have driven all my life and covered over a million miles, (cars, lorries, coaches, double deck buses, motor cycles, combinations, cycles, excavators, heavy goods vehicles, covering a period of fifty seven years and never had an accident which was my fault.

So dont try and tell me that motoring is as dangerous as flying only perhaps these idiots who think they can drive, (who are an accident just looking for somewhere to happen )and I know what I am talking about as I worked for twelve years as a driving instructor in this city and other places.

I think your post says it all - "never had an accident which was my fault". That's part of the inherent danger of driving; no matter how safely you drive, there's always the chance of somebody else involving you in an accident.

Statistically flying is much (something like 65 times safer depending on which studies you read) safer than driving and you're more likely to have an accident driving to the airport than during the actual flight.

No, planes are not entirely safe, but in reality there are very few air crashes, whereas there's many people killed in car accidents every day (121 in the US alone) - they're just not reported in the same way.

Safe or not I still don't like what I call the broccolli moment. The bit where you're close enough to the trees but they're still far enough away to look like broccolli. Plus your pilot is steering towards the ground and gravity is sucking and the computer programs were written by people like me.

Still, it's quicker and you get to see more of the world.

Just when you'd got over your fear of flying this happens:

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_779026.html?menu=

Originally posted by "maxt"

Just when you'd got over your fear of flying this happens:

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_779026.html?menu=

So, someone forgot to shut the Cargo door properly? great!

Some of these foreign airlines just aren't reliable.

You would have thought that as a safety precaution it would be compulsory to have some indication in the cockpit as to wether all the doors on the plane were closed on take off etc.....this is similar to the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster !

Originally posted by "Michael_W"

You would have thought that as a safety precaution it would be compulsory to have some indication in the cockpit as to wether all the doors on the plane were closed on take off etc.....this is similar to the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster !

I agree, just like in some cars when you don't fasten your seatbelt a warning indicator light comes on.

Exactly Lickszz, it maybe that it is already the case, you would have thought so, but that it is not failsafe, in which case it's back to the drawing board !

Hal......aeroplanes are a lot safer than you think. They have regular airworthy checks....pilots are well trained, and have regular medicals.
Some car drivers on the otherhand drive "sheds"..and some drivers, especially old drivers, may not have even sat a driving test. If competency tests were undertaken as often as in the aviation business, then maybe the roads would be a much safer place.....but hey...what do i know.

Did anyone see the TV programme on BBC earlier this week about transport chaos set in Christmas 2003?

The most common factor in most air accidents is down to the 'human factor'. Whether it's overworked air traffic controllers struggling with a computer system that was out of date before it came into operation, or pilots flying planes in the nude or with the cheeky girls on their laps (two amazing news stories from the past fortnight)!

I think it is the most dangerous activity the human being undertake.

I like flying, but it sure as hell makes my arms ache. :hihi:

Can I have your opinions please???

Flying is very safe ...

It's crashing that isn't so good for you ...

They were a lot safer when they were maintained properly a few yrs ago....
stay away from the low budget foreign airlines...

I think it is the most dangerous activity the human being undertake.

Heh, pretty sure that's driving.

Flying is the safest form of transport, regardless of what people say. Before people even board the plane, the whole of the outside is thoroughly inspected. Bet nobody does that before they get in their car!

Heh, pretty sure that's driving.


Russian roulette comes pretty high up the list.

The chance of being killed during a flight is far, FAR lower than the chance of being killed during a car journey, or while walking somewhere. The reason people so often take against flying is because of the "unnatural" aspect. Hulking great lumps of metal do not naturally hang in the sky five miles up.

Russian roulette comes pretty high up the list.

The chance of being killed during a flight is far, FAR lower than the chance of being killed during a car journey, or while walking somewhere. The reason people so often take against flying is because of the "unnatural" aspect. Hulking great lumps of metal do not naturally hang in the sky five miles up.

Even the unnatural aspect is flawed. Aircraft were originally designed based on birds, and birds are natural flyers.

Everything about an aircraft means its far more comfortable at 35,000 feet than it is on the ground.

I do understand people's fear of flying, being thrust forwards at 150 MPH without actually seeing where you are going probably worries many people. What you have to understand though, is that it only matters that 2 people are seeing where you are going and they have trained for thousands of hours to be there.

I know a couple of airline pilots, and they are the most professional people you could ever wish to meet. I'd rather have my life in their hands than some guy in a taxi driving me around.

I wonder how many people in the cemetry died thinking "I wish I'd....."?

Nicely put :thumbsup:

If the plane does not crash it is very safe. Much the same as a car.

Flying is super-safe. If it wasn't, I would not do it every day of my working life. Having said that, I only fly British Airways because I KNOW they have the most highly-trained pilots and crew in the world, and the most constantly-monitored. The most dangerous thing that affects the safety of an aircraft is fire...so DONT secretly smoke!!!! You could be dead in minutes. Even with total instrument failure and complete loss of all engine power, you can glide safely to land for approx 20 mins. No worries....unless you are over the sea...and a lot more than 20 mins from land....then chances of survival are slim if you ditch, but possible.

Even the unnatural aspect is flawed. Aircraft were originally designed based on birds, and birds are natural flyers.

I agree, but it doesn't look right. Even birds have to expend effort in order to stay in the air; a car does not have to expend effort just to sit safely on the ground. If a car's engine fails, it just stops; if a plane's engine fails, people expect to die.

You probably know, and I certainly know, that engine failure in a plane is far less likely than it is in a car, but the "gut feeling" of most people just won't have it.

If your flying on passenger jets any first world airline is safe including Air China but avoid the Russian airline Aerflot and small airlines that fly domestic flights in Africa and South America

Well, how many people do you know who have died in a air crash? How many do you know who have died in a car crash? It's far more dangerous to travel by car than plane, that's why you hear more about them...

I heard once that there are, on average, 52 plane crashes per year...worldwide.

How many car crashes are there per year?

Well, how many people do you know who have died in a air crash? How many do you know who have died in a car crash? It's far more dangerous to travel by car than plane, that's why you hear more about them...

From perusing the media, you often get the reverse impression; this is because deaths in plane crashes, while much fewer overall, tend to come in very large clumps when an entire 'plane's worth of passengers get wiped out all at once. Car crashes occur vastly more often but usually only kill one or two at a time, and don't make such big stories.; indeed, many go entirely unreported at a national level.

Strange how this got resurrected.

The 'flying is safe' statistics get trotted out regularly, but need qualification.

They only stand up in the 'deaths per passenger miles' category.

If you start looking at 'percentage chance of death in an 'incident', things look a bit different.

Also look at 'incidents per total number of trips'.

Have an 'incident' in a car and you are extremely unlikely to die.
have an 'incident' in a plane and things are much less favourable.