A viewer wrote in and asked me to do an article on whether or not it's safe to fly anymore.
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I dated a pilot for several years, his father was a pilot, his brother a commercial airline pilot. Then I married a chopper pilot. And there's the fact I was a Milab pilot and later an SSP pilot myself.
I used to love to fly and have flown in everything from hang gliders to hot air balloons, to gliders, to choppers, to small planes to jumbo jets.
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This is what happens when airlines toss passenger safety to the wind in favor of promoting their WOKE agenda by hiring DEI pilots who are not qualified to be flying commercial airplanes.
You end up with 80 souls on board, hanging upside down in their seats until rescued, at least 19 of them injured.
Then Delta offers them $30,000 apiece (quote) "no strings attached" in what amounts to hush money to keep their mouths shut about the whole affair and hoping they won't sue the wings right off of Delta.
(Not that they'd need to on this particular flight since the DEI pilot managed to rip the wings off the plane when landing it upside down.)
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Our airlines are no longer about safely transporting passengers. They've become a political tool and weapon.
We had no airline crashes involving fatalities for years...until Trump got elected President. (No, I'm not blaming Trump). I'm blaming his adversaries and the corporations those oligarchs own.
From January 1, 2025 to February 17, 2025 we had 87 plane crashes, all of them involving injuries and/or deaths.
Aviation data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have compiled dozens of incidents in just the first four months of the year.
Among the most serious crashes this year was the January 29 collision involving a commercial jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River. The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, operating as American Airlines Flight 5342, collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk during its approach to Reagan Washington National Airport. All 13 people aboard both aircraft were killed.
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That January collision was the deadliest U.S. plane crash since 2001, when a jet crashed into a New York City neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.
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The NTSB logged 250 aviation incidents and accidents across the United States from January 1 to April 24, 2025. Source
My late friend, Alex was a security analyst of airport/airline security for 40+ years. It was his job to test the security of airports and airlines across the country.
He'd do this by smuggling a bomb past the TSA and onto a plane. He succeeded with every plane in every major airport in America.
If you think the invasive nonsense of the TSA is keeping you safe from anything, you are sorely mistaken.
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Not that that's the only problem with the airlines now. NTSB investigators discovered that 95% of the airplane parts in maintenance were cheap knockoffs. A proper airline bolt will cost $250. Why buy a $250 bolt when you can increase your profit margin by buying a $30 knockoff? An airplane windscreen will cost the price of a BMW. But this corporate greed comes at a steep price.
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On 10 June 1990, the BAC One-Eleven 528FL suffered an explosive decompression. While the aircraft was flying over Didcot, England, an improperly installed windscreen panel separated from its frame, causing the captain to be sucked out of the cockpit.
Only the quick thinking of his co pilot and 3 flight attendants saved pilot, Tim Lancaster's life.
When investigating the accident, the NTSB discovered bolts that were 1/2000th off in diameter had been improperly installed on the windscreen, causing the windscreen to fly off in mid flight.
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In no way do I mean to sound disparaging toward the pilots, flight crews and maintenance crews. The greedy corporations running the show keep pushing them under impossible deadlines, are putting sleep deprived pilots in cockpits to keep planes flying and maximizing their profits, are giving maintenance crews insufficient time to properly repair airplanes.
It's gotten so bad that even the pilots themselves are refusing to take a plane into the air if they notice as much as and oil gauge isn't reading properly or a filter hasn't been changed when it was supposed to be.
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According to the NTSB, the attitude of these greedy corporations is "Oh well, if we lose the lives of a few hundred passengers here and there, that's just the cost of doing business!"
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Anxious airline flyers may well remember 2024 as the year their worst fears about the safety of air travel felt confirmed, as a series of unprecedented, and in some cases fatal, airplane incidents captured headlines.
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Three separate incidents in one week — aboard South Korean, Canadian and Azerbaijani airliners — have stirred those anxieties.
The latest incident happened in South Korea when a Boeing
passenger jet crash-landed at Muan International Airport, killing 179 people — the deadliest aviation disaster in the country since 1997. In footage broadcast by multiple South Korean news outlets, the Jeju Air flight can be seen skidding on its belly at high speed, hitting an embankment and erupting in a fireball.
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It’s still unclear what caused the crash, though experts told CNN the plane’s undercarriage — specifically, the wheels used for takeoff and landing — appeared not to have fully deployed before hitting the tarmac.
A string of crashes have left passengers seriously questioning the safety of Boeing aircraft.
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The year began with a door plug blowing off the side of a 737 Max flown by Alaska Airlines minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Passengers’ clothing and cell phones were ripped away and sent hurling through the gaping hole in the plane’s fuselage as air from the cabin rushed out.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured on the plane, which landed minutes later without incident. The seats next to the door plug didn’t have passengers sitting in them.
But the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation found that the plane had left a Boeing factory two months earlier missing the four bolts needed to hold the door plug in place.
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Boeing’s stock plunged by about a third this year, after closing down more than 2% Monday following the crash. Its CEO and several other prominent executives were ousted.
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An emergency landing was made in April 2024 when the engine cover of a Southwest Airlines flight detached during takeoff, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft, originally scheduled for a flight from Denver to Houston, was safely landed back at Denver International Airport just after 8:00 a.m. and was subsequently towed to the gate, according to the airport and airline.
According to the FAA, the incident is now under investigation, with crew members reporting that "the engine cowling fell off during takeoff and struck the wing flap."
In a statement, Southwest Airlines mentioned that the flight "landed safely after experiencing a mechanical issue." Customers were rebooked on other flights, and the plane is now being inspected by maintenance teams, according to the airline, as per ABC news report.
Footage captured by passengers depicted what appeared to be part of the plane hanging off and flapping in the breeze. "It was all blown away," a person can be heard saying in a video recorded by passenger Lisa C. Passengers on board have cheered the pilot after the plane touchdown, as reported by US media outlet.
According to one passenger, the engine cowling "peeled off within the first 10 minutes" of the flight. "We all felt kind of a bump, a jolt, and I looked out the window because I love window seats, and there it was," she described.
Another passenger, Cooper Glass, recounted the experience as "frightening." "People in the exit row across from me started yelling up to the flight attendants and showed them the damage," Glass reported. While commending the pilot, he said that he "did a great job on landing," reported ABC news.
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Is flying still the safest form of transportation? Yes. You have a 1 in 14 million chance of dying in an airplane crash. But what scares me is that airlines are now being used as political weapons and that's not factored into that 1 in 14 million chance. Nor is corporate greed or the problem with maintenance issues, substandard repair parts and the fact we've grossly outgrown our airports and air traffic controllers' capabilities.
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When airline passengers start clapping simply because they've landed right side up, we have a problem, folks!
I used to love to fly, Now you won't get me on a commercial plane. This sums up my feelings on airlines now:
I'm not alone in my concerns.
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​An independent US aviation review team called for “urgent action” to prevent plane crashes, and made a series of recommendations to boost safety after a series of close calls involving passenger jets.
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The panel, named by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), released a 52-page report citing problems that included shortages of air traffic controllers, technology issues, outdated systems and dramatic funding needs. Since January, the National Transportation Safety Board has opened seven investigations into near-miss incidents, including some that could have been catastrophic.
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The FAA has been “asked to do more with less in an already strained system, and the series of serious incidents in early 2023 illuminate significant challenges to the provision and safety oversight of air traffic services. Source
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When passengers start clapping simply because their flight landed right side up, we have a serious problem, folks!
where's the best place to sit on a plane?
The gal who asked me to write this article also asked the above question. I assume she means where's the safest place to sit on a plane?
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Frequent Flyers would tell you:
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For a smooth ride: A seat over the wing.
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For sleepers: A window seat near the front.
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For maximum legroom: An aisle seat in the second exit row.
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For a quick plane exit: Any seat close to the front of the plane
I completely disagree with all of the above if survival in a crash is your concern.
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Over the wing: No way in hell would I sit over or near the wing. The big boys of the sky, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, can hold anywhere from 6,000 to 14,000 gallons of fuel.
A Boeing 747, for instance, can carry about 48,000 gallons. That jet fuel is HIGHLY flammable! In essence, you'd be sitting over or near a 48,000 gallon bomb as in most crashes that highly flammable jet fuel ignites on impact.
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Furthermore, even if you're making an emergency landing and aren't in immediate danger of crashing, what's the first thing your pilot is going to do? Dump the fuel to make the plane as light as possible. Where does that fuel go as it's being dumped? Right over the wing where you're sitting.
Window seat near the front: No, no and no. In the greatest majority of crashes, the nose of the plane impacts the ground first and with the most force. It's why so many cockpit crews perish in crashes. And ask any pilot what the worst catastrophe is that can happen on a plane and he/she will tell you fire.
When flames and toxic smoke fill the passenger cabin, people panic and rush to get away from the flames and smoke. They will climb over seats, other passengers to do so. Many the NTSB investigator who has found a pile of charred bodies right at the exit door of the plane because panicked passengers were trying to climb over one another to escape the plane. If you're in a window seat, you're boxed in by other passengers.
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Any seat close to the front of the plane: Only if you have a death wish. As I said, most of the time the plane's nose is going to impact the ground first and this is usually what happens.
What's going to happen to you sitting where the arrow is pointing?
Well, if you're extremely lucky you could fall out of the plane into a farmer's cornfield some 20 miles from the crash site. Or you could end up a pancake on the tarmac lying under the landing gear and a gazillion other razor sharp metal parts. Personally, I'm not in that big of a rush to disembark a plane quickly that I'd risk sitting in the front of the plane.
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When I was still flying, I chose an aisle seat as close to the rear exit doors of the plane as I could get, in the tail section. Most often the tail section will remain intact in a crash if it's the last part of the plane to impact that ground. It may get torn off the fuselage but most often it remains intact.
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If you're not concerned about a crash, then the tail section is still a good choice. The cargo on a plane must be balanced. If it's not, the flight attendants will move people in the tail forward, possibly even into first class to help balance the cargo. Doesn't happen often anymore...but you never know.
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But the truth is, there is no "safest seat" to sit in on a plane. What part of the plane, if any, that remains intact is completely dependent upon how and in what position the plane impacts the ground.
what's the best brace position to be in?
Let you in on a secret...not even the airlines themselves can agree on the answer to that question.
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Me personally? I wouldn't be in either of the positions shown at left! They make no sense to me whatsoever!
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When you impact the ground you're going to be violently thrown forward.
Your neck and head are flexible. The metal framework in that seat in front of you isn't nearly as flexible. So why would you put your head right where it's going to slam into that seat, possibly breaking your neck or knocking you unconscious? If the plane lights on fire on impact are you going to want to be unconscious and not escape the plane?
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Furthermore, most plane crashes involve the plane diving nose first, possibly at a few thousand feet per second. Which means you will be plastered against the BACK of your seat and unable to move due to the G's your body will be subjected to during that dive. You may not be able to get into either of those crash positions shown but you're still going to be violently thrown forward upon impact - very possibly at the very last second. So again, I want to be protecting my neck so it doesn't get broken and my head as much as possible. Therefore, I wouldn't fly without one of these:
Aeris Memory Foam Travel Pillow. $25
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I chose this one because it was rated the firmest and that's what I want if I'm crashing!
I'd have this wrapped around my neck as firmly as possible to protect my neck and to some degree, my head.
The G's would be pushing me back into my seat and this way my head isn't close to that metal framework of the seat ahead of me and my neck is cushioned and supported. Yes, you'll get violently thrown forward on impact but I want my head as far away as possible from that seat ahead of me when I am thrown forward.
The other thing I like about it is that it has cords where you can tighten it up. If I'm crashing nose first in a plane, I want to be able to use both of my arms to brace myself on the seat arms while still keeping that pillow snug around my neck.
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A couple of other things to mention: Keep your legs snug against your seat, do not brace them on the seat in front of you or put them under the seat in front of you. It's an almost sure fire way to get broken legs.
Also, unless you're up walking to the bathroom, keep your seatbelt on and at the first hint of any kind of trouble, snug that seatbelt up as tight as you possibly can. In a case of sudden cabin depressurization it will hopefully keep you from getting sucked out of the plane or at the very least, keep you from smacking your head on an overhead bin or other object.
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There's one other thing I wouldn't board a plane without now - a fire hood with a 30 minute oxygen supply.
No, I'm not being paranoid. The airplanes being manufactured now have more and more technical and computerized components added to them - which means more wiring that can cause a fire.
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This year a United Airlines 787 Dreamliner en route to London diverted to Chicago after an entertainment unit caught fire.
In a flight from JFK to Geneva, Swiss Air Flight 111 pilots began to notice a smell in the cockpit. Eventually, they found smoke coming from the A/C and decided to detour to Halifax Airport for an emergency landing. Eventually, flames entered the cockpit and they began to lose functions of the aircraft, lost communication with ATC and the displays until the aircraft crashed near the Canadian shore. At daybreak, it was confirmed that all 229 people on board died.
The fire was found to be started above the bulkhead in the ceiling of the plane where the pilots were sitting by arcing wires that had sparked and created a fire. Eventually, the investigators found that the wires used for the first-class entertainment section were the ones to cause a spark, but the metalized mylar insulation helped fuel the fire.
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In September, 2024 on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, an airline supplied entertainment tablet caught fire.
Then there's the fact that airlines are transporting lithium batteries, which again are highly flammable.
So fires on airlines are becoming more and more frequent. Frequent enough that the NTSB has been pushing commercial airlines for years to provide smoke hoods for every passenger aboard. The airlines don't want to spend the money to do it. Profits before passenger safety.
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It's worth the $55 for a Six Aviation hood. Those oxygen masks on airplanes can only be dropped from the ceiling in the event of a sudden depressurization, not a fire. And they only supply 12 minutes of oxygen.
That plane you're on that's suddenly on fire can take significantly more than 12 minutes to find a place to land and in the event of an airplane fire, flight attendants know they only have 90 seconds to get every passenger off that plane before toxic smoke inhalation overcomes them - if the plane is lucky enough to land.
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And if the smoke is dense enough, passengers can't see where they're going to make their way to an exit. The hood protects you not only from breathing that toxic smoke, you can see slightly better without smoke hitting your eyes and blinding you.
They can even be worn in the event of a sudden depressurization to provide you enough oxygen not to succumb to hypoxia and protect your face from flying debris. So they're well worth the $55 and easy enough to stick in your carry-on.
