Just a note in passing: Regardless of what the future holds for the now-infamous Boeing 737 Max airplane, you’ll never find me in one. I’ve no doubt the plane will be “fixed” and put back into service; obviously Boeing and the many airlines who bought the plane cannot afford to just scrap all of them. But I have lost faith in the 737 Max and will not fly in one.
I’ve gone one better. I have given up flying altogether because… climate change.
My last flight was in 2003 and I rarely travel at all. But if I ever do fly again it won’t be on the 737 Max.
It occurs to me that many things frighten us irrationally because of news coverage. Modern aviation is a good example because it has an exemplary safety record. When the 737 Max’s do fly again, they will likely be one of the safest planes in the sky.
If one looked on automobile safety in the same way, we would live terrified. I suppose the difference is how helpless and claustrophobic one can feel in an aluminum tube with a hundred strangers, but the odds of an accident are orders of magnitude better in a plane. Terrorism fears are another example of irrational fear. One is far, far more likely to be injured or killed by another citizen than by some Islamic hate-filled fanatic. All that said, I do hate flying for the miserable experience it has become. “Oh Auntie Em, there’s no place like home!”
I agree the media can make anything look fearsome simply by keeping it in the headlines. Many years ago my boss was visiting in Seoul when news of riots there hit the headlines. The pictures and headlines had me believing the entire city was ablaze. When my boss returned, he said only about one city block was involved and it was nowhere near where he was.
As for flying, I loved it until 9/11. After that, security at the airports and shrinking space in the planes have ruined the experience. My flight in 2003 wasn’t bad since I departed from a relatively small airport (Syracuse) and I simply haven’t need to fly since then. But I do dread the next time it becomes necessary, if only because I no longer have the stamina to walk long distances or stand in long lines.
Jim is probably right, but I like automated processes that can be easily overridden. Like the passenger side air bag. All potentially dangerous automated functions should have an off switch. IMNSHO.
… especially on airplanes where you can’t just pull over if something goes wrong.