"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
08/15/2013 at 13:26 • Filed to: planelopnik
6
8|
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
08/15/2013 at 13:26 • Filed to: planelopnik | 6
| 8 |
With so few tragic events claiming so few lives in the skies these days, as a pilot I have to take some deep breaths once in a while when an event does happen, especially an event like this. With marginal influence of weather conditions, zero reported issues with mechanicals or otherwise it appeared to be situation normal. Another normal approach. Then out of nowhere a crash. This reminds me that no matter how good I or others might be at what we do, effectively, a situation can develop so fast out of nowhere that our front end offices can crumple around us, detach from our office buildings and go tumbling on fire down the street. The fact that this happens so rarely makes it more shocking when it does. So I now stop what i'm doing and breathe a bit before continuing on.
The UPS pilots are damn good at what they do. Airline/cargo pilots can face pressing weather and night and rest conditions, but the UPS/FedEX guys and gals are exceptional at their job. They prefer to hire ex-military and management/pilot types for the elevated capabilities they posses in procedure. This wasn't a culturally driven inactivity result like the Asiana crash a while back. These pilots solve problems and fix the immediate issue. I hope they were doing everything they can until the end. It always sucks to loose another person in this industry to something they most likely couldn't control. (Photo: AP)
HammerheadFistpunch
> Grindintosecond
08/15/2013 at 13:35 |
|
These kinds of statistical anomalies freak me out. Its exactly why I don't ride a motorcycle...one random incident and boom...fully exposed to the danger that shouldn't have been there, but was.
|
Grindintosecond
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/15/2013 at 13:42 |
|
Motorcycles I view as amazing pieces of art, but 20 years ago people were more cautious of them. Now, no one cares about their surroundings unless it interferes with their Starbucks Latte' or their texting routines. I know why they wear loud pipes now. If they have your attention, you can't hit them so easily.
|
HammerheadFistpunch
> Grindintosecond
08/15/2013 at 13:44 |
|
There is a lot you can do to be a safe rider and there is a lot you can do to try and increase your defensive driving on a bike, but it doesn't matter when that one person does something unexpected. its not that riding a bike means you are more likely to be involved in an accident, per-se, its that it offers no protection when it does happen. Because its a matter of statistics...it will happen eventually
ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/15/2013 at 14:05 |
|
My dad always said it was when you lay the bike down. Not IF. He had stitches from his forearm to behind his elbow. He laid it down to avoid a deer. He also got hit head on and landed in the guys windshield.
Scott Keelan
> Grindintosecond
08/15/2013 at 14:33 |
|
My thoughts exactly. The harsh reality of aviation is that even with years of training and thousands of hours of flight time, there is always that small chance of a catastrophic accident that even the most proficient pilot can't recover from. As time goes on training and safety measures will improve and that chance will decrease, but it will always be there.
|
Grindintosecond
> Scott Keelan
08/15/2013 at 15:48 |
|
training has achieved nearly compensation for every condition and problem. what's left is catastrophic failure that can't be fixed. There's the problem. How perfect we can be yet so out of control in a moment. Example is the firebombing C-130a that sheared a whole wing on TV replay......nothing they can do then.
feather-throttle-not-hair
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/15/2013 at 16:19 |
|
Yeah, thats pretty much how I feel. I will likely want a motorcycle my whole life, but I will never get one. I trust myself just fine, but there's so much out there I have no control over.
PilotMan
> Grindintosecond
08/15/2013 at 18:13 |
|
Watching that doomed 747 perform a full power on stall into the ground still breaks my heart.
Flying is never routine. Flight has become a reliable miracle but it's still a miracle. Breaking the bonds of Earth and flying into the atmosphere is a big deal no matter if it’s a home-built ultralight or a fully-loaded freighter. The physics and engineering involved are astounding.