I would. First of all, lightning was only speculated to have contributed to the Nigeria incident. It most likely broke up is severe wind shear. In the airbus incident, it had slid off the runway and probably spilled fuel which ignited.

If you're in the air, the worst that can happen is blasting a small hole in the fuselage, and the current designs route the electricity to be discharged out the tail, away from the wings and fuel.

 

As ar as airlines go, I tend to stay away from Northwest and Continental - their fleets are on average over 20 years old, so the planes have a lot of hours and structural stress on them. Overall though, any domestic carrier's planes will be safer than other carriers since the FAA has regulations regarding how long a plane can fly in the US. These older planes end up flying in other countries for many many more years.

 

but your chances of not getting food on that flight are greater than being hit by that drunk driver.

 

i found a great website that tells you EXACTLY that kind of info.

www.airsafe.com

check it out. fatal event rates by model:
http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/rate_mod.htm

fatal event rates by airline:
http://www.airsafe.com/airline.htm

 

Actually:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2...523X00653&key=1


this one lightning severed 2 of the 4 elevator cables (whatever those are) but it didn't cause any trouble:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2...408X00474&key=1


heh. this one it broke the windshield:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2...711X01383&key=1


And one more:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2...211X09578&key=1

 

question to the pilots out there. what happens in the event that you lose vertical stabilizer control?? i keep hearing that term and I know what it is, and sorta what it does, but curious what happens in the event that you lose control of it?

 

Delta offers Chewy granola bars, Sun chips, Lance crackers, etc on its flights

 

Relaxation is the key. Sounds to easy though I know.

http://www.mitchellairport.com/programs.html

Many of the major airports offer programs to help those with a fear of flying.

I have been finding myself in the latter years of life thinking a bit more of the plane going down while I am on it. In the end I find things to take my mind off those bad thoughts and the flight just breezes by. While I do not have 3 million plus miles to my credit, I think I am nearing a million for the 25 years I have been in traveling in planes. I have been in both 2 seaters and 200+ seaters for up to 16 our more hours to Singapore. The mind as we all know is a powerful thing but in the end we control where it takes us. Sometimes a few drinks also helps direct it. I enjoy just looking out the window and trying to recognize places I have traveled by car from far above. Books, magazines, and an iPod with your favorite music to drown out those worrisome noises. Having someone to chat with such as a friend our spouse is a great help also.

Hopefully some of this is helpful. I began reading this thread last night and almost killed four people while driving in to work thinking about it again.

 

I'm no expert, but I assume that means your tail section that allows you to raise and lower the nose. (climbing and decending) You can do the same by adding power, or reducing power. It is possible to land a plane that has lost that control. (but difficult) The United flight that lost all hydralics and still landed in Souix City years ago is a perfect example. That was a heavy jet, and there were survivors. If the wing had not dipped at touchdown, there would likely have been no fatalities at all.

 

[QUOTE=Wisconsin S2k,Jan 25 2006, 08:14 PM] question to the pilots out there.