Flying safety

anything I don't mind · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:09

I don't have a fear of flying but I think planes are starting to get to such an age now that I am going to be careful about which planes I fly on. On the way back from Abu Dhabi with Qatar air we were on a plane that still had ash trays in the seats, it must have been from the 80s or 70s. It looked realy old and was very noisy. On the way there we had a nice new plane and you could tell the difference. I am now considering to refuse flying on old planes and ask to be moved to a later flight and see if they can do it. Do you think it is going to be more often now that we start seeing them having technical faults. considering that a lot of the planes are getting on to 20+ years old now. Crashes just seem more frequent these days.

Also one thing i never understand is why they give people on planes life jacket, that would be like giving people on a cruise ship parachutes. Surely giving each passenger a parachute under his seat would be a far better idea than a life jacket?

Paul11 · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:10

they are maintained to very high standards, just because its old doesnt make it bad

they give life jackets in case you land in water ....

anything I don't mind · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:11

"land" in water

Paul11 · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:12

groen said:
"land" in water

ok, crash in water.... lol

im guessing you would still want a life jacket

Firestar_3x · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:13

You are most at risk during take-off and landing, how is a parachute going to save your life?

I also like the comical idea of 200+ people trying to put on a parachute and getting out the plane, probably over open water.....

Hamish · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:13

Air travel has never been safer. Old planes need to meet the same regs as new planes, they are just as safe.
Your comment that crashes seem more frequent is provably false. Maybe they are reported more now so you hear about them moe.

There are many reasons why parachutes are not given to people on planes:
- most accidents happen on takeoff or landing for which parachutes are useless
- the rest of the time the plane is flying too high or fast to use them
- too bulky
- too expensive
- people don't know how to use them
- too slow to evatuate the plane

etc.

Freefaller · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:15

People don't know how to use a parachute. How do you guarantee where they will land? What if the plane can be landed perfectly fine? How do you shuffle 400+ people out of a plane safely? Also the most dangerous part of a flight is the take off - a parachute isn't going to help anyway. Also parachutes are bulky, and are often tailored to the size of the person - a 12 year old will drift for miles under a large canopy compared to a 100kg man.

Also plane crash trend is decreasing, certainly the number of fatalities are.

Uhtred · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:15

You're better off worrying about the airline itself. A reputable airline won't fly a plane which is too old and will have good maintenance in place.

anything I don't mind · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:16

I would still feel more safe if i knew there was a parachute under my seat rather than a life jacket. The chances of using the life jacket is slim. But if there is an emergency the plane can drop to jump ready altitude and we can open the doors and all jump out one by one in a controlled manner.

Maybe it is time to review the safety process on commercial flights.

Paul11 · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:17

actually the chances of using a life jacket are high and the chance of you using a parachute are low

Firestar_3x · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:18

Comical, given most crashes are caused by pilot error, not mechanical issue i'd love to see how that one work...... Flying on a comerical airliner isn't like being in the back of a C-130...

Freefaller · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:19

Having jumped out of over 20 different type of flying machines - jumping out of a plane at a speed enough to maintain altitude, with a lot of skill - if the plane is damaged or not operable, holding a steady course and altitude on the cusp of a stall would be dangerous and nigh on impossible (certainly to get everyone off the plane in time), furthermore, the chance of hitting the tail is massive, and the chance of getting sucked into the engine is even bigger.

Having jumped out of a jet plane, there is a maximum speed that's needed as mentioned to stop you spinning out of control as you jump, but also to minimise the impact of hitting 100knots of winds, but also to keep the plane stable and at height, and even then there's a technique to jumping out.

It sounds good in your head, but in theory it's not practicable at all.

Zogger · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:20

groen said:
I would still feel more safe if i knew there was a parachute under my seat rather than a life jacket. The chances of using the life jacket is slim. But if there is an emergency the plane can drop to jump ready altitude and we can open the doors and all jump out one by one in a controlled manner.

The way most passenger plane doors work, you would have to literally break a hole in the plane to get out of it. You can't just open the door while the plane is flying.

I would also be willing to bet that everyone having parachutes would be responsible for more deaths than lives saved

MikeTheNative · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:20

Uhtred said:
You're better off worrying about the airline itself. A reputable airline won't fly a plane which is too old and will have good maintenance in place.

This ^^ Also make sure you don't get on many internal Iran flights.

arknor · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:20

I bet the older planes are far more simple and reliable than the modern ones

as long as they are maintained to a proper standard anyway

Sui · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:21

groen said:
I would still feel more safe if i knew there was a parachute under my seat rather than a life jacket. The chances of using the life jacket is slim. But if there is an emergency the plane can drop to jump ready altitude and we can open the doors and all jump out one by one in a controlled manner.

Maybe it is time to review the safety process on commercial flights.

Because in an emergency everyone will definitely act in a calm and controlled manner.... :rolleyes:

Zero Pope · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:22

groen said:
But if there is an emergency the plane can drop to jump ready altitude and we can open the doors and all jump out one by one in a controlled manner.

Really? If the emergency is bad enough to need to evacuate the plane then I seriously doubt the plane is going to be in any condition to maintain a level flight path in order to shuffle some panicked, untrained civvys out the door.

Turambar · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:22

groen said:
I would still feel more safe if i knew there was a parachute under my seat rather than a life jacket. The chances of using the life jacket is slim. But if there is an emergency the plane can drop to jump ready altitude and we can open the doors and all jump out one by one in a controlled manner.

Maybe it is time to review the safety process on commercial flights.

Most people can't can't manage this in the queue at the post office, what makes you think they'd manage it on a rapidly descending aircraft?

Freefaller · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:23

Zogger said:
The way most passenger plane doors work, you would have to literally break a hole in the plane to get out of it. You can't just open the door while the plane is flying.

You can if they're designed to open at altitude

However as you say, passenger planes are pressurised anyway so it's all a non issue.

Weazle · 20 Nov 2013 at 13:24

Age is not really the factor you should be worried about ..... it is really how well the airline company maintains their fleet. Aircraft are checked before every takeoff and after every landing for defects.