Hi again Larry in TN,
My wife and kids have just read your post, and are now appraised of some of the flying capabilities of the MD80. However, they still don't want to fly on one again!
As for myself, I appreciate that problems can occur with any form of transport at any time - my point is, that with regard to aircraft, the end results of some of those problems can sometimes be catastrophic. Once it's flying, it's not as simple as pulling to the side of the road when something malfunctions. Aircraft need to be 100% seviceable 100% of the time - 99% is not good enough. Its probably going to be that 1% that causes the a/c to involuntarily demonstrate the Law of Gravity! If there's a reported problem with a vital component (be it large or small), then the plane should stay grounded until it's fixed. I do not agree with trying to effect a repair during the (often limited) turnaround time, especially if its something to do with parts of the plane that actually keep it in the air, like the flaps for instance. Replacing an overhead bulb, or fixing a pax's seat is one thing - repairs to flaps, engines etc is quite another. I appreciate that this is easier said than done in today's cut-throat airline environment. Planes on the ground equals no revenue for the airline - just expense.
Safety within civil aviation is normally extremely good. The vast majority of us SLFs do not know about technical capabilities, safe operating limits et al - we just want to travel from A to B on an a/c that is in complete working order. We dont want high speed flapless landings and stomach turning descents, even if they are safely within the a/c's capabilities. If the plane ain't working 100% properly when its time to depart, then put us on one that is! THEN go and fix the one that isn't. As for the particular MD80 we flew on - sorry, Larry, but that one was a sick'un, and should have stayed at home.
