Some very good discussion here...please keep it coming. My 2p worth:
1. ETOPS is irrelevant with an uncontrollable cabin/cargo fire. It takes alot longer to get down than you have a available, even if the perfect airport is right there waiting for (which is seldom the case, outside perhaps Europe or the USA)
2. The FEDEX guys getting down in 19mins from FL330 is incredible!
3. Dan Winterlands example of the RAF Nimrod sets the standard. These guys had 4 engines, and a wing route fire. There were less than 15nm from 'home' and the elected to ditch. The main-spar (I understand) was found to be already broken before the hit the water. In short, there would not have made it 'home'.
4. Fires double in size every 20 seconds (food for thought!!)
So the issue really becomes one of 'mindset'.
1. If a fire of any sort breaks out....it has to be all hands to the pump. You have no time. Are your Cabin Crew aware of just how serious it can be? They might not be time to don fire fighting equipment!
2. Are you prepared mentally to ditch or land on the nearest thing that resembles an airport and accepting (for the rest of your life) the consequences of that decision?
*****Because thats what you get paid the big bucks for......making the decisions; no matter how ugly
*Ref the Ethiopean ditching, the skipper was in fact being beaten on the top of his head, by a hijacker, with a bottle of booze at the time of the ditching. I think we can forgive him for not being perfectly wings level
