Disturbing story

[Vas]

I don't like to post a whole thread from another forum without it being of some tech help.

However, after reading this I thought others may find it interesting.

I am in no way making a joke about it, its very sad.

I am posting it for "the what are the chances factor".

 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/558707-help-me-i-am-afraid-flying.html

[wasserkuhl]

Crikeys.

 

It has been mused that if you think about something that much it will happen........................

 

I have experienced this myself..........................Sobering story.

[Russ]

thats horrible. i hope it was quick. at least he was doing what he wanted to do.

 

if it happened to me i'd probably be laughing on the way down though.

[T-Man]

Poor bugger!! Life is sometimes stranger than fiction.

[Jimmy]

That is so sad, I really feel for the poor chap and his family....just awful.

[9fan]

Yes Tragic,

[Chris-p]

That's incredibly sad.....

[tazzieman]

How the heck did you come upon this old thread???

 

Now , there are no such things as accidents ...they are incidents. Digging a bit deeper...

 

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diegans-Killed-In-Arizona-Plane-Crash-101691853.html

 

The pair was on board an experimental Thorp T-18 aircraft.

 

and

 

Federal Aviation Administration records show that the plane that crashed was involved in an accident at Montgomery Field in San Diego County in 2006. In that incident, the plane tilted after landing, damaging a wing.

Suddenly the odds are not in his favour. Small planes are always a bit riskier than big ones . Experimental? Who knows what happened. An aborted landing , a panic attack?  Maybe even the pilot lost it. Poor guys ,  v . sad story but again , the odds were stacked unfairly IMO.

[JustJames]

Tazzieman is bang on the money.

 

When I read that the guy in the story was planning on taking a flight in a small two seat aircraft to overcome his fear of flying, my thoughts consisted most of the letters W, T and F.  You might feel safer in an aircraft piloted by your mate, but the truth is that commercial airlines are the safest mode of transport by a long chalk.

 

We humans are notoriously poor at estimating risk and probability.

[StevepGT3]

I, have very few mates,(there is a good reason for this) all of them smart in their own way,some successfull business men, some of them extremely accomplished mechanically ie restoring their own cars and one has even built his own car from scratch. If one of them built his own aircraft and suggested that I come up in it,the laughter would be heard for miles. NO Effing Way

[Niko]

Very tragic, Shawn357 sure had courage to take on his fears full frontal like that, but agree with James and Steve. Bad choice of plane with very very sad ending. Still admire what he tried to do to overcome that fear. Incredibly gutsy effort.

Really sorry how it ended for him.

N.B.

I called in on a mate in Beaconsfield last week, and he proudly showed me the plane he is building in the shed, he gave the same offer, to come up in when he gets it finished. Not on your Nellie. IMHO Life can be fragile enough in day to day stuff, without pushing the limits.

[Vas]

"How the heck did you come upon this old thread???"

 

That's my job, Tazzie.

 

I, have very few mates,(there is a good reason for this) all of them smart in their own way,some successfull business men, some of them extremely accomplished mechanically ie restoring their own cars and one has even built his own car from scratch. If one of them built his own aircraft and suggested that I come up in it,the laughter would be heard for miles. NO Effing Way

 

+1  Steve.

[tazzieman]

For those with an air phobia there is a very good book about flying , was on sale at airports a couple of years ago. Explains everything , e.g. pilots go looking for bad turbulence on their days off for a bit of fun , plus all the noises we hear during flight etc. Very reassuring for frightened flyers. It amazes me how many people self medicate on board and you can smell the fear when the plane hits a bump or two. I've had a plane shut down an engine dt fire , another hit the runway got hit by a gust and boosted back upstairs. But even so , flying for me is still childlike fun. I still find it all amazing.

About the only thing that freaks me is driving on a 2 lane highway knowing 1/2 the oncoming traffic is composed of either ancients , tourists used to LHD , folk coming off night shift or dozy bints fiddling with phones and mp3 players. That and drunks and druggies. 

 

I just keep alert and rely on fast reflexes.

 

btw one of our PCT guys died in his own light plane a couple of years ago. I prefer 2 engines on a plane .

[withers]

Good grief!