Story of the Day

Flying in America is one of the easiest things one can do. You get your ticket, check your luggage, and sit and wait for your plane. When it arrives at your gate you wait in line with some others until your number is called out then you board. They do call it boarding even though there are no boards involved. You then either take your assigned seat or choose an empty seat to your liking in open seating and sit down again once your carry on items are stowed in the appropriate places. Once you fasten your seatbelt you won't have to do anything until you arrive at your destination. The pilot and others do all the work.

Their work is very complex and does involve some significant decisions. How much Coke to carry on board? Eagle brand or a different brand of snacks? No, but seriously. They do have some significant decisions to make like flying the plane. Once they decide to start the takeoff roll the pilots are committed to a series of true life-and-death decisions and judgments. I know enough about flying to have some idea of how difficult it is but not enough to think I could make enough right decisions to actually fly a passenger liner.

Ocean liners were so sedate. They rarely traveled at speeds one twentieth those of modern jet liners. The passengers would have and need all kinds of diversions since they would be spending at least 3 days on a transatlantic trip. As a passenger, you had to decide what to do and where to go. You wouldn't dream of just sitting in one chair the whole time. Then at least in the movies you had lifeboat drill. Imagine having to practice a crash in a plane. People would freak.

February 10, 1996

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Jack Jackson ( jjack@bearinmind.org )