Missing Air France Plane Travelling From Rio To Paris

[mrfooty]

What difference does that make? Is it any more tragic that children were involved? I think not.

Yes it is you dumb c unt.

[MOP]

R4 is now reporting that the pilots of a Paris to Sao Paolo flight yesterday recall seeing flames in the water at a location that makes sense, though they didn't report it at the time because they didn't know that an airliner was missing. The Brazilian navy are investigating.

Why on earth did they not report this? A fire in the middle of the Atlantic is hardly a common event is it?

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

Looks like they've found the wreckage (Torygraph). Only 400 miles off the Brazilian coast - not as far out into the ocean as some were speculating.

Apparently there are quite a few oil rigs in that bit of the South Atlantic, which might explain why the Brazilian pilots did not report their sighting of flames.

[Guest absolutezero]

Yes it is you dumb c unt.

Now you're being sentimental, emotional - and ridiculous.

Just because children were on the plane doesn't make it any more tragic.

Lives are lives, children or OAP.

[Guest redwine]

Now you're being sentimental, emotional - and ridiculous.

Just because children were on the plane doesn't make it any more tragic.

Lives are lives, children or OAP.

the reason why i added on that children were killed in this terrible tragic accident is that my wife and kids will soon be flying and its going to be four flights there and back i cant go due to work also i was just repeating what was coming up en direct over here

it must be terrible for the famillies who have lost members of there family

i wouldn't like to go through that

we are all so helpless with aircrashes afterall you never expect it to happen

[6538]

You will be fine. It is THE safest method of travel per passenger mile.

Thought that was lifts?

[Guest absolutezero]

the reason why i added on that children were killed in this terrible tragic accident is that my wife and kids will soon be flying and its going to be four flights there and back i cant go due to work also i was just repeating what was coming up en direct over here

it must be terrible for the famillies who have lost members of there family

i wouldn't like to go through that

we are all so helpless with aircrashes afterall you never expect it to happen

You will be fine. It is THE safest method of travel per passenger mile.

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

You will be fine. It is THE safest method of travel per passenger mile.

My guess would be that fear of flying is exacerbated, at least in part, by the fact that accidents per passenger mile* are very rare, but when they do happen they are almost always spectacular, highly publicised and fatal for all involved. A car crash on the M1 that kills two people and injures 20 probably won't make the news (or at least if it does, only very briefly and towards the end): a plane crash which causes the same number of casualties almost certainly will.

* Although maybe this isn't the right figure to use and fatalities per passenger A-to-B journey would be a better indication. Whenever you get on a plane you're doing to do a lot more miles than when you get in your car. I probably fly 4-5 times more miles than I do by road, but I only take about 15-20 individual flights per year. By contrast, I make at least two car journeys on every normal working day.

[youthoftoday]

My guess would be that fear of flying is exacerbated, at least in part, by the fact that accidents per passenger mile* are very rare, but when they do happen they are almost always spectacular, highly publicised and fatal for all involved. A car crash on the M1 that kills two people and injures 20 probably won't make the news (or at least if it does, only very briefly and towards the end): a plane crash which causes the same number of casualties almost certainly will.

* Although maybe this isn't the right figure to use and fatalities per passenger A-to-B journey would be a better indication. Whenever you get on a plane you're doing to do a lot more miles than when you get in your car. I probably fly 4-5 times more miles than I do by road, but I only take about 15-20 individual flights per year. By contrast, I make at least two car journeys on every normal working day.

Exactly. Quote from New Scientist 7th August 1999:

'The most accurate method is to compare the number of deaths with the number of journeys made. So accurate, in fact, that this is the measure used by the industry and its insurers. This makes much more sense, because what matters to the individual is the journey, not how long it took or how far it went. Also, it enables comparison of different types of jet, both long haul and short haul.

By this measure, air travel takes on a rather different complexion. Deaths per 100 million passenger journeys are, on average, 55 for airliners compared with 4.5 for cars, and 2.7 for trains. Only motorbikes, at 100 deaths per 100 million passenger journeys, are more risky than aircraft on this basis.'

So flying is 12 times more dangerous than travelling by car and 20 times more dangerous than taking the train.

This method is also probably more favourable to air travel over car travel since a car has an average of about 2-3 passengers per journey whereas a plane has about 100. (guesstimates)

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

The other thing that could skew the figures is that (if I understand the literature and what I've been told by family members in the biz correctly) takeoff and landing is the most dangerous part of the flight, i.e. when you're most likely to be killed or injured: this transatlantic flight is an exception, but the rule still holds. Therefore, someone who takes a return flight from London to Manchester every week will clock up around 25k miles and 104 flights in a year. But someone who makes a monthly trip from London to Los Angeles will do around 70-75k miles, but only 24 flights. Our Manchester commuter is actually at much greater risk, even though he only does about a third of the miles of our long-haul frequent flier.

[Bosh]

My guess would be that fear of flying is exacerbated, at least in part, by the fact that accidents per passenger mile* are very rare, but when they do happen they are almost always spectacular, highly publicised and fatal for all involved. A car crash on the M1 that kills two people and injures 20 probably won't make the news (or at least if it does, only very briefly and towards the end): a plane crash which causes the same number of casualties almost certainly will.

* Although maybe this isn't the right figure to use and fatalities per passenger A-to-B journey would be a better indication. Whenever you get on a plane you're doing to do a lot more miles than when you get in your car. I probably fly 4-5 times more miles than I do by road, but I only take about 15-20 individual flights per year. By contrast, I make at least two car journeys on every normal working day.

I am interested in flight accidents and have watched many programmes on the subject. Most people survive accidents involving aeroplanes and you personally increase by 50% your chances of survival by observing the inflight safety demo paying paticular attention to emergency exits and each planes brace position.

I am not scared of flying but I always count the seats between myself and the nearest exit. (Takes 5 seconds) and can save your life in the event of smoke/fire or if you have to dive over the top of seats.

We have two kids and we always have a deal up in the event of an emergency to concentrate of one child each if things go wrong.

Of absolutely no use to the poor souls of this recent Air France flight.

R.I.P.

[OnionTerror]

The other thing that could skew the figures is that (if I understand the literature and what I've been told by family members in the biz correctly) takeoff and landing is the most dangerous part of the flight, i.e. when you're most likely to be killed or injured: this transatlantic flight is an exception, but the rule still holds. Therefore, someone who takes a return flight from London to Manchester every week will clock up around 25k miles and 104 flights in a year. But someone who makes a monthly trip from London to Los Angeles will do around 70-75k miles, but only 24 flights. Our Manchester commuter is actually at much greater risk, even though he only does about a third of the miles of our long-haul frequent flier.

Mid flight breakups are exetremely rare, but when they do happen, and there's such massive loss of life, it does make people think.

People are scared of flying as they aren't in control of their own destiny, like they are in a car.