Thanks, guys. Perhaps I am too open, I don’t want to scare anyone. I know many people are already uncomfortable with flying. But at least at American carriers, the culture that supports safety above all else has been massively improved over the years. When I think about the things we used to do, the chances we took, how people were treated…it’s an entirely different world.
You aren’t too open! That’s what I love about your posts. Plus, just the idea that we have a “friend” who we can go to with all our questions.
My big question for BusDriver11 would be, “would you fly Allegiant?”
We all joke about how cheap they are that you pay for air and bathroom privileges, and I have flown them with some super cheap fares, yet, I admit that I am not surprised by the expose’
As a passenger, I don’t want to hear from the flight crew until things in the cockpit are well in hand.
@busdriver11 part of me wants to hear those stories and part of me doesn’t! Any chance you’ll be writing a memoir?
Funny,@stradmom, I’m hoping I can complete my career without doing anything alarming enough to write a memoir about. 
But trust me, you are in very safe hands flying on American carriers. High experience levels, good maintenance, nothing to worry about. Our stories are all old war stories, probably boring to anyone else but pilots. "There I was, at cruise level flight. We got into some turbulence, and I spilled my coffee. " Other guy, “Oh my God how awful! I hate when that happens!”
I think aviation is amazing. If there were the same number of flying fatalities as automobile in this country, a plane with 221 people would go down every other day.
And isn’t that so sad. It amazes me, I think there are something like 50,000 deaths a year. I had read that at one point.
^It was around 41,000 in 2016. One fatality every 13 minutes, 24/7.
OMG. Another broken window incident. This time, in the cockpit. Kudos to the pilot.
Crazy story out today about a windshield shattering and the co-pilot getting partially sucked out on an Airbus A319. Plane landed safely.
I’m beyond impressed that the flight crew survived and managed to land the plane. Just imagine the crazy amount of wind blowing into the cockpit at that velocity, not mention the thin air and freezing cold.
I’d definitely like to hear @busdriver11 comment on what cockpit conditions might’ve been like.
““The situation was very critical. The windshield was blown off at a 10,000-meter-high altitude. The aircraft was in a state of low pressure and a temperature was minus 30 to minus 40 degree Celsius,” Jiang Wenxue, a Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) official, was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.“
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/asia/chinese-airline-accident-intl/index.html
@anomander, I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for that crew to function. Given a choice, I’d rather have had Southwest’s emergency than the cockpit window shattering like that. The immediate rush of freezing cold air and wind, extreme noise and having to put your oxygen mask immediately so you don’t pass out would be shocking. I’m guessing the copilot didn’t stay out of the window for very long, as his time of useful consciousness wouldn’t have been that long before he would have passed out. I have never had an explosive decompression like that, just a gradual one (which can be very insidious), but they were probably going from drinking coffee (or tea) and chatting, to a terrible situation. It is very unusual for cockpit windows to be affected like that, there are a number of panes and even if one of them gets a crack in it, the other one isn’t affected.
Starting to think about several scheduled flights with new eyes…
My little cousin is married to a delta pilot. He is in his 40’s now, but known to the family since he was 16. He now trains pilots. He did get publicity for bringing down a plane in bad weather. He is one of my favorite in-laws, just so calm and sweet and wise. Whenever I can, I fly Delta. He is the epitome pilot, much as busdriver .
Thanks, @bookworm. He sounds like a great guy. I love Delta, and fly them whenever I can. I know some people who have recently gone through their interview process, and it is very challenging. Me and my husband were just saying there is no way we would go through another airline interview, ever again!
Ya, I agree. I have the utmost respect for Delta pilots. I also follow the career of one of my son’s best friend. He was part of a Navy kids group, then joined the Academy, all with the goal,of being a pilot. This is one of the best of the young, with a most wonderful family. This young man was NMF, an athlete, etc. still, he got shifted to helicopters. He is now in An Asian country. The standards are so high.