Flying safety

[stripey111]

Any truth in that the brace postion is really to keep your teeth and bits together so i.d is is easier afterwards ?

 

[manic111]

Any truth in that the brace postion is really to keep your teeth and bits together so i.d is is easier afterwards ?

Based on the Channel 4 documentary where they actually crashed a plane, it's safer as it makes it less likely that you'll ram your face forward into the seat in front of you and knock your brain out. Makes sense to me.

 

[Regy53]

Also there is a 75% chance that they will be flying over water at the time so most people will either drown or die of exposure when they land.

I think this % is reduced if you fly from say Luton to Glasgow.

 

[sports_brah]

I think this % is reduced if you fly from say Luton to Glasgow.

Depends how much its been raining.

 

[Sliver]

When it's time, it's time. Plane, train, automobile, it won't matter. Sleep tight kids.

 

[Shimmyhill]

You know how big boats have loads of little boats for emergencies maybe planes should have loads of little planes on the side for emergencies.

Brought to you from the op's school of thinking.

 

[Eddie182]

Not 100% sure i agree with that, a smoke hood in most cases would be a better bet.

You have a good point there. I wouldn't get rid of the life jackets, but adding smoke hoods wouldn't be a bad idea.

Personally, I prefer aircraft with ejection seats, and on board oxygen generation where the crew are always wearing masks and survival suits. Although I suppose that's not too practical for stag trips to Magaluf.

On a recent flight home the panel above my head was held on with gaffer tape.

There's actually nothing wrong with that necessarily. Provided the tape used was of the correct specification and the temporary repair (which is what it would have been) was authorised and within limits etc.

Adhesive tapes of various types are very regularly used on aircraft of all types and sizes to carry out temporary repairs. When a temp repair is carried out an entry will be made in the aircraft's log and regular inspections will be required to ensure the repair does not deteriorate.

Of course, that's not to say that some civil aircraft operators won't do some dodgy "repairs" from time to time. It does happen, and aircraft have been lost because of it. But such things are very rare and those who do such things don't tend to last long, and that applies to the engineer(s) that carried out/signed off any such repair as well as the company itself.

Aircraft maintenance is a very highly regulated industry, at least in the developed world, and very different to motor vehicle maintenance and servicing, for example.

 

[[TW]Fox]

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.

It must have been, right?

Except for the fact that Qatar do not operate a single plane long haul (Or infact at all?) that was built earlier than 2001.

But hey, you know it 'MUST' have been from the 70's. Right?

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.

Please list ALL air crashes in the last 10 years involving major first world carriers which were as a result of a plane age?

 

[Squark]

Fly with reputable airlines and you really don't have much to worry about.

Taxi drivers worry me more than flying.

 

[Minstadave]

Old plane has flown 100,000 hours without crashing

New plane has flown 1,000 hours without crashing

Assume 0.5% chance of crashing for the new plane and 1% for the old plane.

Statistically, even with doubling the risk the old plane is still much more likely to get you to the end of your 4 hour flight alive...

No.....

 

[ubersonic]

A car, A bathtub, A swimming pool, A nightclub, A space shuttle, your bed.

Getting into any of those has a higher chance of death than getting into a commercial airliner.

 

[toasteh]

FWIW, all planes still have ashtrays because it's still illegal not to, presumably based on the fact that in the event someone does decide to break the rules and have a smoke there needs to be somewhere safe to put it out...

 

[memyselfandi]

I think this % is reduced if you fly from say Luton to Glasgow.

Maybe they should re-route as I'm sure that drowning or death by exposure is probably preferable to going to Glasgow ...

 

[Participant]

Better to stick a massive parachute on the aircraft than give passengers one each.

 

[pieman109]

It's a quick glance over the plane to make sure the landing gear is ok, no fluid leaks and all panels are still attached etc, it doesn't take long for the ground crew to do.

It can, and does often take a lot longer than you'd think. It depends purely on how many defects the airplane comes in with, and wether theres a "weekly", monthly" or "A" check as well as the normal daily or transit check required to be carried out before the next flight. We quite frequently get aircraft in on a 3 hour turn round and the if workload is high, ie: heavy cabin incoming snags, wheel and /or brake change, the flight gets delayed until the work is done. Fact of life at Heathrow.

 

[pieman109]

What about on Easyjet/Ryan air where its a 30 minute turn around?

easyjet and Ryanair are "shorthaul operators so any particuklar aircraft might do 3 to 4 flights a day, so Paris, edinburgh, amsterdam, y'know, short hops. At the start of the day they require a "Daily" check first thing in the morning due to most of the work needed on them would have been done overnight. every subsequent flight (take off / landing) the plane requires a "transit" check, a sort alleviated daily check before it takes off again. A lot of the time they don't even have to refuel the plane 'cos the trips are so short and the engines are quite frugal on consumption. Theres minimal catering too, just need to load a few drinks, rolls and sarnies and they're good to go

 

[Bassmansam]

easyjet and Ryanair are "shorthaul operators so any particuklar aircraft might do 3 to 4 flights a day, so Paris, edinburgh, amsterdam, y'know, short hops. At the start of the day they require a "Daily" check first thing in the morning due to most of the work needed on them would have been done overnight. every subsequent flight (take off / landing) the plane requires a "transit" check, a sort alleviated daily check before it takes off again. A lot of the time they don't even have to refuel the plane 'cos the trips are so short and the engines are quite frugal on consumption. Theres minimal catering too, just need to load a few drinks, rolls and sarnies and they're good to go

Thanks Pieman - very informative

 

[robgmun]

It must have been, right?

Except for the fact that Qatar do not operate a single plane long haul (Or infact at all?) that was built earlier than 2001.

But hey, you know it 'MUST' have been from the 70's. Right?

+1 What a bizarre post. I flown quite a bit now and I don't think I've been in a plane more than a few years old from any airline

 

[dannyjo22]

Engines have to be rebuilt/replaced after a certain amount of hours, air frames have recommended amount of cycles (takeoff/landing), commercial aeroplanes are maintained to a very high standard, especially ones used for international travel.

I know I shouldn't enter these threads but I'm curious as to why you think international travel aircraft get more special treatment. If anything the aircraft doing constant shorthaul pressure cycles and more landings take a far higher toll.

easyjet and Ryanair are "shorthaul operators so any particuklar aircraft might do 3 to 4 flights a day, so Paris, edinburgh, amsterdam, y'know, short hops. At the start of the day they require a "Daily" check first thing in the morning due to most of the work needed on them would have been done overnight. every subsequent flight (take off / landing) the plane requires a "transit" check, a sort alleviated daily check before it takes off again. A lot of the time they don't even have to refuel the plane 'cos the trips are so short and the engines are quite frugal on consumption. Theres minimal catering too, just need to load a few drinks, rolls and sarnies and they're good to go

You don't work shorthaul operators that's for sure. Dailies are not done in the morning due to most work being done at night. They are done with the night work. We don't daily after.

They most certainly are refuelled too. Fuel loads are increasingly getting closer and tighter margins. An aircraft does not take off with 'there and back' fuel without a damn good reason and our crews have to enter a report reasoning why they took more fuel than was required.

Potable water tanks are no longer full on our flights because it was worked out it saved X millions in fuel per year. We single engine taxi to save fuel. We have experimented with different washes and polishes to see how it effects drag and fuel burn. I can assure you they then don't let the crews fly with 3 tonne of extra fuel.

 

[[TW]Fox]

+1 What a bizarre post. I flown quite a bit now and I don't think I've been in a plane more than a few years old from any airline

Some Airlines do operate quite an old fleet mind - Qatar is just not one of them which makes his post complete rubbish.

The majority of the British Airways 747 fleet is late 80's early 90's and my last flight was on one of Virgin Atlantics A340-300's which are all now circa 15 years old.