QUESTIONS & ANSWERS


The following are a series of questions & answers to everything that may give you anxiety, & phobias about flying. The purpose of the Q&A is to help alleviate your fears, and phobias so as to reduce your anxiety over flying. 

1)Question-Are cockpit doors really secure?
Answer: Yes, without getting into specifics due to security, the cockpit doors today are very secure. They are made with a hard kelvar material that can stop a bullet.

2)Question-How many pilots are armed after 9/11?
 Answer: Those specific numbers are classified, but I wouldn't be surprise if its in the thousands.

3)Question-I hear a lot of concerns about runway incursions so should I be concern?

Answer: Yes, its true that runway incursions are on the rise in the past several years. Thats mainly because of a shortage in air traffic controllers. However, theres been a shortage in controllers since the 1980's, and they never been able to reach the numbers they once had prior to President Ronald Reagan firing most of them during his administration. 4)Question-Is pilot fatigue a safety issue I should be concern with? Answer: Although it is true that most accidents list fatigue as a contributing factor in accidents, there are usually other factors that were the primary cause of accidents like pilot error. As long as you have humans involved, you will always have problems with fatigue. But in the last decade the FAA has mandated strong regulations to combat fatigue. Most airlines have a crew scheduling department that monitors the duty times of pilots. If a pilot exceeds as much as a minute off their max hours to fly, then a computer  flags it & crew scheduling will pull that pilot off the flight to be replaced. In many cases they will cancel the flight rather then risk the crew being exceeding their hours. Pilots are restricted on how many hours they can fly per week, per month, & per year. 5)Question-Are turboprops safe? Answer: Turboprops are as safe as jet aircraft.   6)Question-What if something malfunctions in the airplane? Answer: Most modern jet aircraft have redundant systems so if one system fails it justs a minor convenience. Only in rare cases can it be serious. 7)Question-Should I be concern about pilots being drunk? Answer: In the past couple of years there been incidents of pilots being arrested for being drunk in the cockpit, or going to work intoxicated. First, let me say that the airlines have a zero tolerance toward this behavior. People who was caught were severely punish. A recent pilot in Miami that flew for America West got ten years in prison for be intoxicated. In fact, many airlines ask tough questions during your initial pilot interview about your drinking habits & past habits. Most airlines will not hired a pilot applicant if they had a DWI in their past or too many speeding tickets. I don't believe this issue is wide spread in the industry. Theres so many layers of security, & personnel you must encounter to go to work so it would be difficult to go to work drunk & not be caught. 8)Question-Why do we sometimes get turbulence on takeoff? Answer: Usually wake turbulence is the culprit. That occurs when one jet takes off directly after another. Its usually not a safety issue as long as pilots note the time & spot of the previous take off point. When coming in for landing, pilots will maintain a minimum distance of around 3-5 miles from any heavy jet to avoid wake turbulence. 9)Question-Do I need to worry about aircraft runway overshoot/undershoot ?

Answer: This has always been a problem since the era of the jet age. The reason is that jets have a lot of inertia & it takes much longer for them to slow down. But this issue is mostly a problem at known small airports such as Chicago, Midway, & La Guardia Airports in NY both which are considered special airports because of terrain, runway distance or another unique challenge. If this is a serious concern to you, the only thing I would recommend is avoiding those airports, or any airports with less than 6500 ft runway distance. The risk are minimum, but flying from those airports does reduce your margin of safety even if just slightly.

10)Question-Is icing condition a safety issue?
Answer: Icing is a very big safety issue. You must have a clean airplane for a safe takeoff. That means it must be clean of any ice, or snow. On your next flight if you notice ice/snow on the wing & the pilots didn't mention about deicing then you have a right to express your concern about it with the crew.