Am I normal? Statistics needed!
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oxfordshire
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It might help to think about the reliability built in:
Anything which could case a catastrophic event has to be reliable for 10^-9 flying hours - that's one failure in a thousand million flying hours.
Which translates into meaning that everything crucial has a backup, often several backups. Fuselage's are built with a reserve strength factor, pressurization systems are doubled up, separate oxy systems for crew and pax.
As for surviving a ditching, it's very unlikely the aircraft with survive in any meaningful way, allowing you to make a nice egress into a life raft with a tin of spam and a whistle for attracting attention...
Anything which could case a catastrophic event has to be reliable for 10^-9 flying hours - that's one failure in a thousand million flying hours.
Which translates into meaning that everything crucial has a backup, often several backups. Fuselage's are built with a reserve strength factor, pressurization systems are doubled up, separate oxy systems for crew and pax.
As for surviving a ditching, it's very unlikely the aircraft with survive in any meaningful way, allowing you to make a nice egress into a life raft with a tin of spam and a whistle for attracting attention...
Many moons ago I took a Primary glider into the air on a winch launch, no problem until (while on the wire) I took my feet off the rudder pedals (not sure why - probably to test a theory) - well I have never experienced such severe vertigo - quickly replaced feet to where they should be & all was well with the world.
Repeated the exercise off the wire with no problem. Assume it was because I could see the connection to the ground which I understand is the usual cause & yes I hate looking up (& down) while up a ladder or tall building - & as for those glass sided lifts in hotes & shopping malls
R2
Repeated the exercise off the wire with no problem. Assume it was because I could see the connection to the ground which I understand is the usual cause & yes I hate looking up (& down) while up a ladder or tall building - & as for those glass sided lifts in hotes & shopping malls
R2
Join Date: Mar 2013
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I have no problems flying (in) an airplane, looking outside from tall buildings, etc.
I'm quite uneasy when standing next to low balcony barrier, or on the edge of a cliff.
I'm even more uneasy if I can see my feet without any support underneath, such as if I'm strapped into paraglide or swing carousel. I'll hold on really tight even though I know I'm securely strapped in and can't fall out.
Strangely I don't have any problems with glass floors.
I haven't tried parachuting yet, so I'm not sure how would I react
I rode in a hot air balloon once and I was fine - the basket was tall enough
I'm quite uneasy when standing next to low balcony barrier, or on the edge of a cliff.
I'm even more uneasy if I can see my feet without any support underneath, such as if I'm strapped into paraglide or swing carousel. I'll hold on really tight even though I know I'm securely strapped in and can't fall out.
Strangely I don't have any problems with glass floors.
I haven't tried parachuting yet, so I'm not sure how would I react
I rode in a hot air balloon once and I was fine - the basket was tall enough
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Join Date: May 2008
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Apologies to all for leaving this thread for a long time... Busy times!
Feeling very slightly better, though I don't know if I could get on an airliner still.
The most comforting reply so far was tom775257's:
Don't ask me why, I just found some comfort in that response. Maybe I should do the ATPL exams (or at least get some books), perhaps it's the knowledge gained from the PPL creating uncertainties and to some extent unnecessary thinking when it comes to airliners.
Strangely, it appears I don't find statistics comforting. I somehow have it in my head that failures in a car or at low ish level in a light a/c are less likely to kill me than a failure at 450kt on the edge of the atmoshpere.
I wonder how numbers compare when looking at, for example, the percentage of failures or met events resulting in death or injury in a light a/c compared with the percentage of failures or met events resulting in death or injury on an airliner, including and excluding pilot error in both percentages.
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. It seems I may in fact be the only one confident in light aircraft whilst being scared of an airliner! Luckily I'm not due to travel any time soon.
Feeling very slightly better, though I don't know if I could get on an airliner still.
The most comforting reply so far was tom775257's:
I would suggest that a structural failure casing rapid depressurisation would be a very unlikely scenario. A much more common (but still VERY rare) cause of depressurisation on the type I fly (I suspect on others too) would be a slow depressurisation due to dual air bleed failure (air taken off the engines) or dual pack failure (aircon units). Generally it starts with an innocuous single failure, but the extra stress due to becoming the single source can sometimes send the other one into failure too. Now the aircraft will drive its outflow valve shut (where air from the cabin is exhausted) but now you are relying on seals to keep the pressurised air in the cabin.
The good thing about this scenario is you can beat the cabin down, so emergency descent circa 6000' per minute, the cabin climbs about 1500' per minute depending on the seals etc. on the aircraft. Generally you can get the aircraft below 10,000' (MSA depending) before the cabin hits 14,000. Not too bad on the ears, no fog, no masks for the pax. Also with dual bleed failures, we can get the APU lit in the descent and get some bleed air off that at 20,000' and restore normal ops.
A full on proper depressurisation is a well practiced procedure, sure you might blow the odd eardrum of someone with a bad cold, but it isn't going to kill you. A pilot friend of mine burst an eardrum flying, first thing she knew about it was a bit of blood out of her ear, not particularly painful for her apparently.
The good thing about this scenario is you can beat the cabin down, so emergency descent circa 6000' per minute, the cabin climbs about 1500' per minute depending on the seals etc. on the aircraft. Generally you can get the aircraft below 10,000' (MSA depending) before the cabin hits 14,000. Not too bad on the ears, no fog, no masks for the pax. Also with dual bleed failures, we can get the APU lit in the descent and get some bleed air off that at 20,000' and restore normal ops.
A full on proper depressurisation is a well practiced procedure, sure you might blow the odd eardrum of someone with a bad cold, but it isn't going to kill you. A pilot friend of mine burst an eardrum flying, first thing she knew about it was a bit of blood out of her ear, not particularly painful for her apparently.
Strangely, it appears I don't find statistics comforting. I somehow have it in my head that failures in a car or at low ish level in a light a/c are less likely to kill me than a failure at 450kt on the edge of the atmoshpere.
I wonder how numbers compare when looking at, for example, the percentage of failures or met events resulting in death or injury in a light a/c compared with the percentage of failures or met events resulting in death or injury on an airliner, including and excluding pilot error in both percentages.
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. It seems I may in fact be the only one confident in light aircraft whilst being scared of an airliner! Luckily I'm not due to travel any time soon.
