I Hate Small Planes...

You know those small planes rich people can pilot themselves? I hate them. I don’t know how many people I have heard of that have died in an accident involving one of these planes. I remember Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin Jr, John Denver, John F. Kennedy Jr, Aaliyah, Jim Croce, and so many more. Every time I hear about one o these accidents I cringe and think how these people might still be alive if it wasn’t for the fact they had a lot of money and could afford to own planes. Of course, my thinking might be warped, but I still can’t help but to think that way. It’s such as waste and so tragic.

Many years ago, my mother had a brilliant orthopedic surgeon, who was the head of his department at a local hospital. My mother was having problems with her back that were very painful. She had some fracture in her spinal column and it took weeks to heal. We had been to that doctor several times. One day, during the holidays, we read an article in the local papers. The doctor, his wife and two grandchildren died in one of these small planes while flying to Virginia for Thanksgiving. Another tragic waste. I’m sure many who own small planes manage to do so safely, but accidents occurring in flight most often end in fatalities. As nice as it is to be able to get in your own plane and fly just about anywhere you want, I doubt I could ever shake the feeling of doom I would feel. I never really got over hearing about this accident either.

Today I was reading a story that dredged up all these feelings. A Kansas business took his wife and children to the Bahamas for a vacation. Their private plane crashed in the swamps of Florida on Thursday and the whole family was killed. The plane started breaking apart in midair. Five bodies were found in the plane, one of the children’s bodies is missing. The debris of the plane is spread out over a five mile area. A witness says it looked like the engine just shut off and the plane came down. Of course the news is devastating for family and friends of the family. The story just made me sick. So much tragic loss in a matter of seconds.

There really is no solution outside of doing away with small aircrafts altogether, but I had to vent about it. At least if you are driving in a car and have mechanical problems, you can pull over and call for help. But, what can you do in midair, when your engine shuts off, a wing falls off or your plane starts falling apart? The only place to go is down. I hate it.