Do you trust your airline pilots?

Just a quick question for you all out there - when you board a plane, do you trust the pilots and crew? Or do you have doubts about thier commitment to your saftey, and so forth?

As a pilot myself, I'm pretty interested - tell me your stories! Do you trust us more then say a Doctor, or policeman? Let me know!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I would like to think that I would have no other choice but to have trust in my airplane pilot since they are responsibile for the safety for so many people.

If the pilots and the crew didn't have a commitment for safety I would like to think they wouldn't have a job to begin with. I fly all the time between Alberta and Newfoundland and that thought has never crossed my mind about the trusting the pilot or the crew because they have certain expectations to live up to especially when looking after so many passengers.

I'm sure there are probably bad pilots out there. Out of all the flights I've been on not once did I ever doubt the pilot or the crew in terms of doing their job. I'm still alive, so as long as I come out a plane the same way I got on. I'll never lose trust or have any doubts on the flights I'm on.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Their safety is my safety, so I generally imagine they're looking to have a pretty safe flight.

How ya doing, buddy?

Grrr - As it happens, a couple of hours after I started this thread - had this assfuck of a passenger who wouldn't turn off his cell phone - if you trust me to fly the damn plane, listen to my damn instructions and follow the damn rules. Do you pick and choose the laws you want to follow? Do you blatently ignore the police when they tell you to do something?

Ugh - that's what pisses me off most - if you trust us, then listen to us - we don't talk just to hear ourselves talk (at least most of the time, heh). We do have your saftey in mind - and I personally don't want to drag your sorry ass out of the plane if the shit hits the fan because you didn't listen to the breifing because you were busy answering a goddamn phone call.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I tend to trust the pilot more than I trust the airplane really. It's never "I hope the pilot doesn't crash," it's always "I hope the plane doesn't malfunction." I don't travel as much as I did when I was in elementary school (inter-island vacations), but I went to the mainland for the first time recently. Bigger/different planes than the ones they use to travel between Hawaiian islands, I guess. I was not expecting the mechanical noises the plane made when the wheels go in or those wing flap things go up and done. Freaked out in my head and I had to ask the steward what the noises were and he explained it to me politely. After that he kind of checked on me with quick chats because I explained I've never flown longer than an hour and stuff, he made me feel a lot safer/calm about the flight.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Locke

Do you pick and choose the laws you want to follow? Do you blatently ignore the police when they tell you to do something?

Well, er, yes.

That said, I do follow safety instructions on planes. Mainly because if you don't, you get thrown off and waste the money you spent on the ticket.

As far as trusting the pilot and crew though, the pilot maybe but I've met a load of cabin crew and I'd trust most of them as far as I could throw them. They let any idiot be a trolley dolly and I'm sure most of the safety procedures are designed to keep them calm rather than the passengers.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

My grandfather tells some really bad jokes. The family expects it from him, he knows it and does his best to excel at it. Ironically enough, he just e-mailed out another really, really bad joke. His jokes -- let me show you them. Or at least a "good" example of one.

Originally Posted by Grandpa

Two blind pilots were both wearing dark glasses. One is using a guide dog and the other is tapping his way along the aisle with a cane. Nervous laughter spreads through the cabin, but the men enter the cockpit, the door closes and the engines start up. The passengers begin glancing nervously around, searching for some sign that this is just a little practical joke.

None is forthcoming. The plane moves faster and faster down the runway and the people sitting in the window seats realize they're headed straight for the water at the edge of the airport. As it begins to look as though the plane will plow into the water, panicked screams fill the cabin. At that moment, the plane lifts smoothly into the air. The passengers relax and laugh a little sheepishly and soon all retreat into their magazines, secure in the knowledge that the plane is in good hands. In the cockpit, one of the blind pilots says, 'Ya know, Bob, one of these days, they're gonna scream too late and we're all gonna die.

I consider myself a seasoned flyer; flown over two dozen times. Some long trips, mostly short trips, but all-in-all fairly seasoned. I don't know shit about shit regarding what goes on behind that door to the cockpit. Those two could be sitting there sipping martinis for all I know. Trust isn't really an issue when ignorance is at an all-time high. For me to even consider trusting them or not, I'd have to have some insight into what they're doing.

For argument's sake, if I had to trust either the pilot or something else, I'd rather trust the maintenance crew.

FELIPE NO

Oh, I reckon I have no choice but to trust every single technician, mechanic, pilot, and flight attendant for my own safety. I hope I don't get to fly under one of those kooky suicidal pilots

Psst Locke, why do flight attendants insist that window shades be drawn up during landing and take off? Makes no sense to me.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Psst Locke, why do flight attendants insist that window shades be drawn up during landing and take off? Makes no sense to me.

They don't in the UK so it can't be that important. Maybe they don't want people to get scared by how much the wings of the plane flex during takeoff?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Shin

They don't in the UK so it can't be that important. Maybe they don't want people to get scared by how much the wings of the plane flex during takeoff?

You're thinking of that the wrong way round Shin, he said 'drawn up', so to have them open (so yeah, slightly poor English on Zerg's part, but forgivable). I have had this on a few flights, though not all flights. Not sure what the reason for it is though.

How ya doing, buddy?

The planes I fly don't have window shades

But it is in case of evacuation, so that your eyes are already accustomed to the light outside - so you're not bumbling around - same reason why they turn the lights off as well.

Ever been outside in the sun, and then came inside, remember how dark it looks until your eyes get accustomed? Or the other way around?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Interesting. That means the policy shouldn't be effected for takeoffs and landings that happen in the darkness of night. Gotta check this out for myself the next time I fly at night

Thanks Locke, that sounds like a plausible answer to one of the imponderables that keep nagging me.

And aye, I am aware of the eye adjustment thingy. Mythbusters did a segment on why pirates might choose to have an eyepatch over a perfectly functional eye.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I trust the pilot to be able to fly and land the aircraft well. I trust the mechanics to be doing their jobs well, or else. It's the maintenance crew I'd be suing if anything malfunctions on the aircraft, not the pilot. Well actually, I'd sue the Airline company and demand the maintenance crew be made responsible for it or take accountability for piss poor job they did on the aircraft which caused the accident, rather. I trust the cabin crew to keep passengers calm should anything happen, but unfortunately I have to say I no longer believe that it is their job description to make sure passengers are kept comfortable and service to the customers' needs. I believe they took that out of the job description title for good in the last couple years since the fuel crisis. They should take out "attendant" out of their job titles; they really don't attend to the needs of the passengers as well as they used to anymore, might as well call them "staff" or something.

Same goes for the airport staff of the airlines; I really don't understand why they put in the term "service" for some of these people's jobs because they just don't "service the customers' needs" at, all. Yeah, we get there from point A to point B for a lot quicker than the olden days for not much more cost, but really, for all the hassle you have to go through and the money you pay, the least airport/airline staff should at least do is pretend they need to act nicer. (Sorry, I have had a lot of bad experiences with American airlines/airports. My airport/flight experiences have been much better on international flights and airports outside of this country.)

In short, the people I depend on running the aircraft and maintaining it, I trust. The Airline company in it of itself, that's a whole other issue.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Locke

Just a quick question for you all out there - when you board a plane, do you trust the pilots and crew? Or do you have doubts about thier commitment to your saftey, and so forth?

As a pilot myself, I'm pretty interested - tell me your stories! Do you trust us more then say a Doctor, or policeman? Let me know!

I actually tend to have greater trust in pilots that are airline pilots, with bigger carriers simply because they tend to be payed more and have more to loose if they screw up. Also, many pilots are ex-military which gives them a whole different level of training and experience that "civilian" pilots won't have.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

It's not the pilots I have distrust for. The way I look at it is they're gone too if the plane goes down so I imagine they want that thing to stay up in the air as much as I do. So I trust the pilots completely when I'm on a plane.
It's the airline companies themselves I have my doubts about. I'm always worried as to whether they're cutting back on maintenance to save costs, or if they're trying to force pilots of overwork the plane to meet hectic schedules, or if they're demanding the bare minimum fuel be put into planes because of gas prices. With them falling under the large corporation category I always wonder what common sense safety procedures they're cutting to save money. And with many airlines charging to check baggage it's only hurting my concerns because it proves they really are that greedy.

FELIPE NO

Pilots? Yes.

They know what is going on. They even will let you listen in as they do what they do. I have full trust in them.

Airlines? No.

One time I had an airline hold a reservation for tickets. They said we had until xyz date to confirm it. A day or so prior they changed their mind, let the tickets go, and they were grabbed up minutes later. Their reasoning? "Some other people wanted it". I have never flown with them again.

Another time I went to ask a guy about whether to declare goods before leaving the country. Before I asked my country, without looking up he said "The flight is not ready yet.". I then said that I have another question, in which he looked up stunned, and seemingly annoyed that I would ask him to do his job. I won't even go into the detail of the frustration of finding an answer to said issue let alone the process of going through with it.

And the fact they are cutting costs everywhere including fuel, food, television, and I swear I read even pillows and blankets just worries me even more as if they are cutting costs that much due to the cost of fuel (and STILL doing it despite the major dip in price of oil), how will this affect the safety of a flight.

Agents? No.

After the aforementioned experience with the airlines suddenly just giving up our tickets, we found another deal. This time I said immediately BUY THE TICKETS. The agent stalled until the next day, and the tickets went up and I had to pay the difference. I never got to say it but SCREW HIM/HER/IT.

Air Crew? Yes...

I really have no problem with the air crew. I have had many flights throughout several countries and they did their job. They never though got tested in a 'panic' situation but I am more than happy NOT to have that happen.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I rarely am on an airplane, but when I have, I have had complete faith in the airline pilots and the crew. They do the best they can and are usually pretty good. Obviously, on occasion mistakes can be made... remember, we are all human beings and no matter how hard we try, there is a situation at some point where a bad decision is made or a mistake happens.

Overall though, the majority of airline pilots are very good at what they do. I should hope that they are good... they have to take care of a LOT of people.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yes, no, maybe, the way I see it, once I get into a plane, it's not like I can fly the damn thing myself, so I have no choice but to trust the guy/gal at the helm (or else I'll go mad).

So in other word, fly me to the moon, just make sure to I have access to a stiff drink to keep the confidence going.

How ya doing, buddy?

My dad works as a maintenance person in Calgary, and in grade 9 I got to go and see him work for "take your kid to work day." Trust me, the guys fixing the planes know what they are doing, and wouldn't have their jobs otherwise. It often only a little bit of time between a plane coming in with a problem and leaving on schedule. And the aircraft themselves are very well built - I fixed one that had a problem all by myself (ok, I admit, all I did was push the test button and the computer fixed it, but it's the thought that counts).

On another note, the wings flapping always kind of freak me out, even though I know perfectly well that if they weren't flapping the wings would fall off and we would all crash. Just something about seeing metal flexing that much messes with my head.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well, the wings flapping will eventually cause them to tear off. There's these hairline fractures running along the joints of the airplane that grow every time the wings cycle up and down. Eventually the crack will get long enough that it'll instantly tear through the rest of the remaining part of the wing holding it on and bye bye airplane.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by RacinReaver

Well, the wings flapping will eventually cause them to tear off. There's these hairline fractures running along the joints of the airplane that grow every time the wings cycle up and down. Eventually the crack will get long enough that it'll instantly tear through the rest of the remaining part of the wing holding it on and bye bye airplane.

Well I'm never flying again. Thanks RR.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I've flown a ridiculous amount of times in my life and the worst I experienced was an overly chatty pilot and turbulence that made the plane dip violently enough to toss luggage everywhere. No reason not to trust the pilot, really. Though I trust the plane itself more than the pilot, if that makes sense.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?