In The Unlikely Event of A Crash…
As a kid, I loved flying on passenger jets. We did a lot of moving overseas, and I have flown countless times, all of which went off without a hitch. I have never had reason to be frightened of flying, but in those days there was also no “Air Crash Investigation” on Discovery. I have to say, shows like that, combined with what I have learned about the way the world works, has definitely made me think a bit more critically about some things. Getting on a passenger jet, or any airplane for that matter is one of those things.
Now, it’s not that I have become scared to fly these days, but if I have a realistic choice, then I would avoid it if I could. I know, I know, the statistics say that many more people die from car crashes than from an airplane crash.
“Don't worry about it”, right? Well, I have to admit, I am a little worried, to be honest. Let’s take a look at reality before we just assume statistics as a cure-all for these worries. First of all, I think we can agree there are way more cars in the world than airplanes. So, you don’t have to be a mathematician to calculate that the odds of a car crash are much higher than those of a plane crash. If that little tidbit is enough for you to just throw caution to the wind, then more power to you.
Me? I have a few more questions that need answers, the first one being; Why the hell don’t they supply us with parachutes on commercial flights?? Right? Honestly, wouldn’t we be better off with a parachute pack under our seats instead of a floaty cushion? Remember that often times, when a plane goes down, it’s going down on something really hard, but if you ’re lucky enough to crash into the middle of the ocean and survive, what is a floating seat cushion really going to do for you. And what’s with the little plastic yellow mask? I’m so thankful for that because it allows you to stay awake to be able to experience consciously the feeling of an airplane plummeting to the ground, leading almost certainly to death.
No, I’d much rather have a parachute, to be honest. So, one day I decided to surf the web a bit and see if I could find some reasons as to why there aren’t parachutes on commercial flights. I wasn’t surprised to find many arguments against parachutes on planes. Though many of the arguments make a lot of sense, in my opinion, they are still not convincing enough to me. I still want a parachute.
Some of the arguments actually do have merit. For example, putting parachutes under every seat and leaving it up to one or more panicked passengers to decide when the right time is to jump out of a plane flying at 600 mph? NO! I have to agree, that’s probably not the best solution. That being said, technically the decision could be left up to the pilot. If the pilot sees that there is no hope of recovery, he or she could get the plane to a safe altitude to jump from and release the doors, for example.
Sure, there could be panic on the plane, and some passengers would be scared to jump off, but to be brutally honest, that’s their problem! Yes, you might die even with a parachute, but if the alternative is careening towards the earth in a bomb made of jet fuel, then I’d rather be able to take my chances. Now, don’t get me wrong, I would never willingly jump out of a perfectly good airplane for fun, but given the choice between dying and maybe dying, I would choose the latter every time.
Another argument in favor of no parachutes is money. Yes, outfitting airplanes with oxygen tanks and parachutes for all passengers probably is expensive. Let’s be realistic though. People are spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on stuff they don’t need. We smokers spend 10 bucks every day if not more on cigarettes, which are actually slowly killing us. I think we would gladly pay the airline offering a second chance at life, a bit more money per flight.
Reason being, an airplane crash is pretty much finite. 99% of the time, if you are on a crashing airplane, you’re gonna die! In a car crash or other accident, you still have a decent chance of survival, especially with all the safety technology these days. Plane crash with no parachute?? You’re pretty much screwed.
There is also something to be said for the fact that only 9% of all plane crashes occur mid-flight. Most occur during takeoff and landing. (Which is probably why it’s so important to have your tray and seat in the upright position during these times.) Granted, takeoff and landing are not great times to jump out of an airplane because the plane might be too low to the ground or traveling too fast. While this might be true, if you are on one of the 9% planes, you’d be thankful for the parachute, right??
For me, when it comes to staying alive, every single percent counts.
For all the arguments against parachutes on commercial flights, it still seems like I might have some people in my corner these days. Over the last years, some smaller aircraft have been outfitted with what is called a “whole plane parachute”. Basically, it’s exactly what it sounds like, a giant parachute that slows the descent of an entire aircraft if it fails. A pretty good idea if you ask me. They seem to do the job, and so there is little doubt that commercial airliners will be outfitted with something similar at some point.
If you ask me, better sooner than later!
By Rob de Mars
