Tour Plane Makes Emergency Landing near Kalapana

[Greg]

It's the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.

[Guest]

....Moments after the landing, a man came by on a motorcycle and decided the passengers needed refreshment. He motored away, then came back with beer.....

Now that is the Puna Spirit at its best!

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The more we speak up... the more they will listen.

[MarkP]

Nobody took the bait. I expected people to get incensed because, after all, there was danger and the potential for bad things on the ground. I then intended to get high and mighty about how we all are in denial about the risks posed by the countless flighty teenagers, drunkards, druggies, road rage perpetrators, etc that are on the road every day while this event made the news precisely because it almost never happens. Imagine the headline "TOUR BUS ENGINE QUITS. JOVIAL TOURISTS BOARD ANOTHER BUS TO CONTINUE TOUR".

It could have been much, much worse, but statistically we are all in far more danger from other drivers. What got my goat was that I assumed the commenter found it scary primarily because it was an airplane, not because it posed a realistic risk. Obviously unexpectedly sharing the road with an airplane does pose some risk but a very small one not to be compared with the risk of sharing the road with an unlicensed drunk driver talking on a cell phone.

[Rob L]

An interesting perspective on different perspectives. It seems that you assumed Damon was saying it was “scary” from the perspective of people on the highway. But, Damon and most of the respondents seem to mean scary from the people in the plane with engine failure. It is true that being hit by a plane is among the lowest level risks of driving on Hawaiian highways, (though above being struck by a meteor). You wanted to make the point that riding in cars is statistically more dangerous than riding airplanes and that people are generally poor at making risk assessments. But, it is undeniable that riding in an airplane with engine failure is a lot scarier than almost anything else.

Aloha,
Rob L

[Kapohocat]

Two things: my little brother says it is more dangerous to drive to the airport than to fly... (and he flys 737 right now)....

and two: this is why we pay pilots the big bucks - is to give us a landing we walk away from ..... most times at the airport terminal!! ha ha

Okay i did laugh at the beer refreshments! Thats was good!

[Green]

Landings like that are usually a little rougher in a helocopter!

[Vicki B]

I fly back and forth to Houston, Texas to visit my grandchildren: NOW THAT IS PARADISE TO ME! Anyway, sticking to the subject, I always remember the ONLY important part about a flight is the landing. I do not mind the crying babies, lousy food or a stinky seat mate. The landing is the only part I care about. Those people were lucky to walk away. Perhaps the enging was overcome with the essence of Pel'e.
aloha, Vicki

vickiboe@aol.com

[MarkP]

Being a pilot myself, I am touchy when I suspect that people are attributing risk to airplanes and flying because so often they make erroneous conclusions. They will demand the right to drive no matter what and will be in denial about those risks but will be afraid of the most remote risk from an airplane. I interpreted the original post to mean that the poster was scared of being hit by an airplane and intentionally or not was encouraging others to be afraid of this too.

I know that this was scary but was hoping to tease out why, expecting to lay bare the poster's wrong assumptions. I may have made some wrong assumptions myself.

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkP

....I interpreted the original post to mean that the poster was scared of being hit by an airplane and intentionally or not was encouraging others to be afraid of this too.

I know that this was scary but was hoping to tease out why, expecting to lay bare the poster's wrong assumptions. I may have made some wrong assumptions myself.

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Its ok Mark... I'm often Misinterpreted. You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last.

Sorry my post seemed vague to you.

I've been having to fly about once every couple months for the last 3 years now, and I don't enjoy flying. It had nothing to do with me being afraid of being hit by an airplane. []

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The more we speak up... the more they will listen.