Chat Wednesday 9 PM - 11 PM Eastern Time
Free Group Phone Counseling With Capt Tom Wednesday 10 PM - 11 PM Eastern Time
- dial (712) 432-3900
-
when asked, enter the conference ID 9352101 followed by the # sign
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Water Landings
When Captain Sullenberger returned to the cockpit last week, a reporter for the New York Times covering the story wrote, "Despite the sky-high odds against a successful water landing by such a large jet, all of the 155 people aboard survived and only a few suffered serious injuries."
Both Patrick and I wrote the reporter to inform him that airliners, regardless of size, are designed, built, and certified to be able to land in water and remain intact.
An anxious flier may have concern that an airliner that runs into trouble over water is doomed. Not so. Being forced to land in water is an extremely rare circumstance. If engine trouble begins to develop, the plane immediately diverts to an airport for landing. Having a second engine develop trouble in the short time before reaching an airport is astronomically unlikely. In any case, if necessary, the plane can ditch. The landing by Captain Sullenberger
in the Hudson River in 2009 has helped people understand that a plane
can be landed in water. But due to media misinformation, the public may
still not understand that this was not a miracle. In fact, regulations
require that the plane to be able to land in water, remain intact, and
float long enough for passengers to leave the plane and enter life
rafts.
in the Hudson River in 2009 has helped people understand that a plane
can be landed in water. But due to media misinformation, the public may
still not understand that this was not a miracle. In fact, regulations
require that the plane to be able to land in water, remain intact, and
float long enough for passengers to leave the plane and enter life
rafts.
The reporter, to his credit, responded and asked how often jets had been able to land in water. I was able to find the following.
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October 1963; Aeroflot Tu124; Leningrad, USSR. Plane landed in a river. No fatalities. The plane, in fact, was even towed to shore.
- November 1968, Japan Airlines DC-8. Due to pilot error, the plane landed in San Francisco bay. The plane floated. Passengers got in life rafts and paddled to the shore for a nearly on time arrival. The plane floated, was removed from the water, repaired and flew many more years.
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May 1970. ALM DC9. Instead of diverting to an airport where the weather was suitable for landing, the pilots continued trying to land until they ran out of fuel. The plane floated long enough for everyone to get off. The problem with fatalities was that people were not told of the ditching and many did not have seat belts on.
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November 1996. Ethiopian Airlines 767. Near Moroni, Comoros Islands. Fighting off hijackers, the pilots landed in the ocean but, interfered with by the hijackers who wanted the plane to crash, were unable to put the plane in the water gently. Yet a number of people survived. Video at this link.
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January 2002. Garuda Indonesia Flight 421. Boeing 737. Landed in a river near Ampernan, Indonesia. One fatality.
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January 2009. US Airways A320. New York, NY. After running into a flock of geese, both engines on the Airbus failed, and the plane was landed in the Hudson River. All aboard the plane survived.
Prior to the jets, planes used reciprocating engines. These propeller-driven planes ditched from time to time because the reciprocating engines were not as reliable. In some cases, the propeller problems led to a ditching. Because the engines were not as powerful as jet engines, the plane might not be able to fly on one engine, as a jet can.
- October 1956 Pan Am 943 ditching. No fatalities. Article and video at this link.
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April 1956. Northwest Orient Flight 2. Boeing Stratocruiser. Ditched into Puget Sound. All escaped before the plane sank, but five later died. See this link.
- March 1955. Pan Am Flight 845. Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Plane ditched near the USS Bayfield. Nineteen survivors; four fatalities. Plane floated for twenty minutes.
- September 1954. KLM Flight 633. Super Constellation. Ditched into - not water - but a mud bank. Yet half those on board survived. See this link.
Points I think you should take away:
- Airliners can land in water if necessary.
- The media rarely gets anything right when it comes to aviation.
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On The Article Last Week About Spanking
Just a comment on the spanking issue ......... Four years ago I got a new puppy, a Bichon-Lhasa mix, 8 weeks of age. Our vet put me in contact with a "puppy trainer" here in Topeka. Many of my friends advised that I spank Clemmie for in-house mistakes, "pop" her under the chin when being too mouthy or whacking her with the newspaper.
I didn't like the sound of any of these ideas, so I talked with Rick (the trainer) about these suggestions. He said "Well, you can employ any of those methods, but it depends on what kind of relationship you want with your dog. If you want her to be afraid of you, to cower when you reach to touch her with your hand, etc - then go ahead and hit her, BUT if you want a good relationship with her, I'd recommend NOT hitting. Let's talk about some other approaches."
I'm happy to report that Clemmie at 4 is a great little dog, happy and well-trained. I have never hit her. I did not hit my kids, either, and I am also happy to report that in their early 30's they are happy and adventurous people.
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Got Over Fear Of Flying And Upset Her Credit Card Company
After a 15 hour flight home, my husband and I went straight to bed. Due to jet lag, we were wide awake at 3:00 A.M., so I listened to my voice mail messages. One was a frantic call from our bank saying there had been suspicious activity on our debit card...Rome, Italy???!!!
I can hardly believe it myself. I FLEW TO EUROPE! This was the chance for a trip of a lifetime and I spent many months preparing. If you only knew how terribly afraid I have been of flying (any kind of heights). Your course was a huge help. Thank you so much for your kind and compassionate concern for what is such a paralyzing, irrational (and embarrassing) fear.
The knowledge of how very safe flying is, the reminder of all the training, and backups and maintenance and monitoring there is in the industry and especially the mental exercises all helped me very much. I didn't actually meet the pilots but amazingly I was able to see them before they boarded and even overhear them a couple times and that helped. As did the mental exercises with visual imagery to soothe myself and relax (deep breathing, etc.) I suspect I will always be a nervous flyer, but now I know I can do fine and can look forward to getaways with my family.
This is so freeing. No more opting out of fun travel. My son graduates from BYU Hawaii this December and we have already booked our tickets. Thank you thank you!
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SOAR Will Work For You Too
SOAR was established in 1982 because no programs existed that could
help people with moderate to severe difficulties. Even today, no other
program offers help that is effective except for mild difficulties. No
matter how difficult flying is for you, we can help.
- Call me at 877 332-7359 between 10 AM and 6 PM Eastern time or
- Set up a time online at http://soar.genbook.com
- No Charge. No Obligation. Just get the information you want.
Or Enroll Right Now And Get This Over With
You will feel better as soon as you make the decision.
You will feel better as soon as you make the decision.
- Accelerated courses give you the most help possible in the time you have available.
- A twenty-minute private session and unlimited group counseling sessions are included.
- What you pay is 100% transferable to the SOAR Video Course 11 DVDs.
Start viewing on your computer screen in two minutes.
- Get a compact version of the SOAR Course.
- Load it on your laptop, iPod or other media player. More info.
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Unsure Which To Choose
If
you are unsure which is best for you, please call me at 877 332-7359 so
we can talk it over. You will feel better as soon as you decide to act.
We are always here to help. As you go through the program, call or email whenever you have a question or a concern.
This year's location is le Zie, a Venetian Trattoria located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. We have a private dining room upstairs, separate from the main part of the restaurant. A photo of the room is at this link.
The room accommodates 24 people comfortably at one large table. If attending the SOARFest is important to you, please reserve now to avoid missing out, as the space is limited.
To Sign Up For The New York SOAR-Fest
This Week In Patrick's Column
Engine Fumes, Daredevil Turns, Landing Gear Failures and Other In-Flight Horrors.
Plus: From the Replacements to the Simpsons, the weird phenomenon of pop-culture tailspin...
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New York SOAR-Fest October 17th
This year's location is le Zie, a Venetian Trattoria located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. We have a private dining room upstairs, separate from the main part of the restaurant. A photo of the room is at this link.
- Meet and have dinner with people who feel the same as you do about flying. You don't have to be in the SOAR program.
- Dinner is at 7:00 PM. If you can, meet us at the bar at any time between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM.
- The price: $68.50 total per person (includes service and taxes).
The room accommodates 24 people comfortably at one large table. If attending the SOARFest is important to you, please reserve now to avoid missing out, as the space is limited.
To Sign Up For The New York SOAR-Fest
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This Week In Patrick's Column
Engine Fumes, Daredevil Turns, Landing Gear Failures and Other In-Flight Horrors.
Plus: From the Replacements to the Simpsons, the weird phenomenon of pop-culture tailspin...
You can find Patrick's column at this link.
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Discuss Or Schedule An Individual Session -- Call 877 332-7359
Call between 11 AM and 6 PM Eastern Time (same time zone as New York)
You'll reach me easily. The toll-free number rings my cell phone.
Call between 11 AM and 6 PM Eastern Time (same time zone as New York)
You'll reach me easily. The toll-free number rings my cell phone.
- find out how I can help you with flying
- discuss the possibility of a counseling session
- set up a time that fits your schedule
Outside the U.S. and Canada call 203 258-4803
- a twenty-minute session is $60.00 if not enrolled in a course.
- one twenty-minute session is free if enrolled in any course.
- additional twenty-minute sessions are $60.00.
- two one-hour sessions are included in the SOAR Guaranteed Program
Schedule An Individual Session Online
Note: Times Listed Are Eastern Time (same as New York)