Fuel Dump Inconsistent with Lack of Distress Call

copycat's litter box ^ | 11/12/01 | copycat

[FITZ]

I will tell you now, the terrorists are (were) THERE, they placed the BOMB on that flight on its LEG to NYC, (many 2 point international routine flights use the same plane and same crew day in and day out) it was placed on the plane

That is a very likely scenario.

[FITZ]

It did seem to me did some were attempting to minimize the panic that would ensue if people thought the airlines were still not safe from terrorists.

I know the government wants everyone to run out and buy plane tickets for the holidays, but why would someone be lulled into thinking flying was safer if instead of terrorists bringing down the planes, they are coming down on their own because they are so ancient, poorly maintained, and the ground crews aren't checking them the night before so the engines disintegrate 3 minutes after take-off? That certainly doesn't inspire me to rush out and book a flight to anywhere.

[pchuck]

Believe me its harder to be a husker fan in texas. originally form omaha, i think its worse down here because the teams down here are perpetually overrated. atleast oklahoma has earned a reason to brag.

No doubt. A & M is absolutely horrid. UT is ok. I think that Husker-Sooner rematch is going to be a tough one for the Huskers.

[pchuck]

There is a Jihad declared against America. The ostriches don't want to believe it yet. I understand that, but not everything is caused by the participants of the Jihad. People are killed and die every day, not all of them are deliberate. There is such a thing as an accident.

I am not saying that this wasn't caused by terrorist, it may very well have been caused by terrorists. We shall see. Now, that doesn't mean I don't support the war on terrorism. I think we should blow the crap out of the Taliban and OBL, as well as Iraq. Let's see what caused this plane to go down.

That isn't acting like an ostrich.

[ag2000jon]

Hey thanks for reading and unzipping that for me. Sorry there wasn't more info in there...thanks abunch

[HiTech RedNeck]

I'd be curious which craft are the most reliable. Could the French-made Airbus be a marvel of, well, French engineering? (There's a joke about what heaven on earth might be: the French are the cooks, the Germans are the engineers, and the British are the police; whereas hell on earth would be where the British are the cooks, the French are the engineers, and the Germans are the police :-)

[FITZ]

I don't understand why so many seem to think it'd be reassuring to fly if they believe it's defective planes, either way you're not going to survive. Even the government is trying to reassure us now by saying it's safe to fly because it's not terrorists but planes that are so old and so poorly maintained, they'll break apart 3 minutes into take-off.

[pchuck]

There is an element of risk in everything we do. Unfortunately, planes crash, as well as trains, cars and buses.

I think that it is silly to say that there is this government/airline industry conspiracy to say it was caused by mechanical failure. Demise by either mechanical failure or terrorist bomb does not inspire confidence in the flying public. This crash is not good for anyone, most of all those poor people who were killed.

Look, I absolutely hate flying and I have to fly to Florida tomorrow with my family.

[FITZ]

I think what leads to speculation is when a government is so very quick to announce "accident" well before an investigation has begun, much less been completed. They don't know but seem too eager to have us believe one way. Good luck with your trip and I hope it all goes well.

[FourPeas]

Please pardon my rather later reply. No offense taken.

If I may...

if the pilot had time to fuel dump, he had time to Mayday

When an emergency occurs in an aircraft, I was trained to get the aircraft under control, then start executing emergency procedures, typically a checklist. Rarely was the first thing on the checklist to declare an in-flight emergency. Training was very rigid. Deviations during check rides (ie. flying tests) were frowned upon, to put it mildly. So, whereas it's true that if the pilot had time to dump fuel, he "might" have had time to declare an emergency, if that wasn't the order in which the emergency procedure was to be done, he probably wouldn't.

FP

[copycat]

Good luck on your flight. Here's an idea I had today...

Right before you board, go to the desk and ask them to make an announcement. Ask them to announce "Phone call for Mohammed, phone call for Mohammed."

Then see if anyone gets up. You may feel safer, or the plane may lighten up a bit!!