Crazy pictures
- Thread starter MikeDD
- Start date
Thanks Mike for the amazing pics!
Never to worry, flying is the safest way to fly!
How often haven't we heard the captain saying as he puts it it down neatly, 'Now the dangerous part of your journey begins,' meaning of course the drive from the airport. Back in the early 1970s a friend of friends was killed in a car accident on the way to Heathrow, in fact about a mile from the airport.
I understand why women live longer. They as keeper of the nest seem to have better survival instincts and quite correctly say say that men make war not women. Having said that I recently fell off a ladder whilst working up against the side of the house. I still can't believe how fast I hit the deck with the back of my head and right shoulder. Luckily we had a doctor friend from England staying and he attended to my right leg skinned to the shin.
The same thing happended to Len Bailey, designer of the GT40. He was on top of a ladder cleaning out leaves from a gutter when the ladder gave way. He was badly injured and this actually led to his death.
The moral of the story is that people involved with GT40s should be careful of ladders and keep flying.
Last night I watched a fascinating programme on the design and development of the Lancaster bomber by Roy Chadwick. Given what we know now of modern technology what those guys did at the time to build 7000 of the bombers in a short space of time was nothing short of a miracle.Several crew members, now grey and with lines of distinction (not wrinkles!) were interviewed and their stories were hair raising to say the least.
Jimmy McLachan, my brother's hard assed old Scottish father-in-law, now 85, flew bombers in Europe in WW11 for the South African Air Force. The old boy loves telling stories about that time in particular once when he brought a plane back safely shot full of holes, spewing oil and water and crabbing through the skies. Pleased with himself that he brought his crew and himself back safely he was most put out when he was accused for allowing the plane to be f.....up!!
Then there was the Luftwaffe ME109 pilot who was shot down. His parachute didn't open and he fell a few thousand feet and hit the side of snow covered mountain. He walked away with bruises.
Statistic. In the 1960s to 1980s the annual death rate in scheduled airline accidents throughout the world was about 1000. From January 1996 until today the average is about 750 and then one must take into account the phenomenal growth in the airlines industries since then. In contrast I believe that about 250,000 people die every year in car accidents throughout the world.
I could stand corrected (in those special shoes on this one!) but I believe that there are about 1600 of all 747 derivates. At any time 800 are upstairs and 800 parked. Even though 747s carry in excess of 300 passengers let's take a mean average of 200 passengers per trip.That means that as I type this there are 160,000 people just in 747s up there never mind Airbus and other liners. That would of course mean that the flight to Fiji would be fine! If there are Boeing employees on this forum or experts on airlines, please confirm or correct my assumptions.
If your name is on that bullet so be it.In the meantime enjoy life, but watch out for those ladders they're more dangerous than flying!!
Andre 40
Never to worry, flying is the safest way to fly!
How often haven't we heard the captain saying as he puts it it down neatly, 'Now the dangerous part of your journey begins,' meaning of course the drive from the airport. Back in the early 1970s a friend of friends was killed in a car accident on the way to Heathrow, in fact about a mile from the airport.
I understand why women live longer. They as keeper of the nest seem to have better survival instincts and quite correctly say say that men make war not women. Having said that I recently fell off a ladder whilst working up against the side of the house. I still can't believe how fast I hit the deck with the back of my head and right shoulder. Luckily we had a doctor friend from England staying and he attended to my right leg skinned to the shin.
The same thing happended to Len Bailey, designer of the GT40. He was on top of a ladder cleaning out leaves from a gutter when the ladder gave way. He was badly injured and this actually led to his death.
The moral of the story is that people involved with GT40s should be careful of ladders and keep flying.
Last night I watched a fascinating programme on the design and development of the Lancaster bomber by Roy Chadwick. Given what we know now of modern technology what those guys did at the time to build 7000 of the bombers in a short space of time was nothing short of a miracle.Several crew members, now grey and with lines of distinction (not wrinkles!) were interviewed and their stories were hair raising to say the least.
Jimmy McLachan, my brother's hard assed old Scottish father-in-law, now 85, flew bombers in Europe in WW11 for the South African Air Force. The old boy loves telling stories about that time in particular once when he brought a plane back safely shot full of holes, spewing oil and water and crabbing through the skies. Pleased with himself that he brought his crew and himself back safely he was most put out when he was accused for allowing the plane to be f.....up!!
Then there was the Luftwaffe ME109 pilot who was shot down. His parachute didn't open and he fell a few thousand feet and hit the side of snow covered mountain. He walked away with bruises.
Statistic. In the 1960s to 1980s the annual death rate in scheduled airline accidents throughout the world was about 1000. From January 1996 until today the average is about 750 and then one must take into account the phenomenal growth in the airlines industries since then. In contrast I believe that about 250,000 people die every year in car accidents throughout the world.
I could stand corrected (in those special shoes on this one!) but I believe that there are about 1600 of all 747 derivates. At any time 800 are upstairs and 800 parked. Even though 747s carry in excess of 300 passengers let's take a mean average of 200 passengers per trip.That means that as I type this there are 160,000 people just in 747s up there never mind Airbus and other liners. That would of course mean that the flight to Fiji would be fine! If there are Boeing employees on this forum or experts on airlines, please confirm or correct my assumptions.
If your name is on that bullet so be it.In the meantime enjoy life, but watch out for those ladders they're more dangerous than flying!!
Andre 40
Ron Earp
Admin
There are, at any given moment, between 3200 and 5000 (and sometimes more given travel loads) aircraft in the air over the United States. And that is just the US. Imagine then Europe, the UK, etc. - there are a lot of planes in the air at any given moment all over the world. Flying is very safe, make no doubt about it. I am concerned when I am flying or riding in a plane, sure, but I am not afraid that I am going to fall out of the air or be killed - otherwise I would not do it or fly as a passenger.
Those are some great pictures!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Those are some great pictures!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Check out the one labeled helotowjob...
Darwin was right.
MikeD
Darwin was right.
MikeD
