Media and Aviation

[txl]

Another perspective

Being relatively new to this forum (I visited here first after the TAM 3054 incident) and an active member of the group criticized here (journalists) I'd like to say hello to a great and informative forum and add my two cents.

I admit that media reports on a variety of complex topics (including, but not limited to, aviation) tend to deliver an explosive blend of misinformation, exaggeration and hearsay. While not wanting to defend my profession here (we should know better), I'd like to point to the fact that journalists (like airline pilots) are subject to increasing economical pressure that affects quality. And, yes, people like to read sensationalist stuff, it sells newspapers.

That said, I think there is another side to factor into that quotation: the passenger, or as you guys put it, SLF. When passengers are scared stiff by what is a routine or standard procedure for aviation experts, there surely is some education needed. While it is our job to get the facts right, there can be a lot more done by airlines and their personnel to educate passengers about what is a dangerous situation and what is not.

A nice example for both shortcomings (journalists jazzing things up and passengers being clueless and afraid) is a recent German news report on an incident at TXL, where a TUIfly 737-800 from Las Palmas landed without flaps (malfunction), just using brakes. Fire teams where sent to the runway, but the aircraft was able to taxi to terminal. Nothing really happened, I believe airline and airport spokespeople are correct when saying this was a standard procedure, not a specifically dangerous situaton.

Still, the story's headline is "Dramatic Emergency Landing with Blocked Flaps", and continued: "187 vacationers in terror: A fully seated Boeing from Las Palmas had to perform an emergency landing Saturday evening in Berlin". There's some drama with the crew instructing the passengers seated at the exits, the captain announcing some hard braking action and passengers with "ashen faces" tightly strapped to their seats. In the last paragraph, airline and airport sources are quoted, putting the drama into perspective.

The article probably relies partly on passenger information. I am sure there were some people genuinely afraid. They didnt know better. And I think it is also your job to educate your passengers. As professionals with more or less experience, you might have lost the feeling of completely handing yourself over to somebody you might not even see and you're asked to trust in a very complex situation you don't fully understand to begin with.

Let me illustrate that with some personal experience. On my first vacation to Samos a few years ago, there was no information by the crew on how the approach would be (judging from what I read here, SMI can be tricky). So when the plane made a sharp left in final and immediately touched down (is that RWY 09?) there was a lot of screaming on the plane. It was only later at the baggage claim I learned from seasoned Samos visitors that this was actually a pretty smooth landing. They had witnessed rougher landings, and even go-arounds, which are not unusual at SMI.

In hindsight, this pilot (Air Berlin) was surely an experienced professional and we where in very good hands. Still, some of his passengers screamed in terror. I'm sure not a single pilot would want that.