February 25, 2025 • 41 mins
How confident are you in air travel these days? In the wake of a string of recent airplane crashes, including the D.C. collision crash over the Potomac River and last week's Delta airlines crash in Toronto that flipped on the runway, confidence in air travel has slightly wavered. An AP/NORC survey shows that 64% of U.S. adults say plane travel is "very safe" or "somewhat safe". That's down slightly from last year, when 71% said that. Do the recent airline crashes make you rethink airline travel? Callers joined Dan to discuss.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night Side with Dan Ray. I'm lazy, Boston's new
radio heer.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome back everyone. A Delta plane today made an emergency landing.
They deployed slides in Atlanta. The Delta flight eight seventy
six was headed to South Carolina this afternoon. I'm not
exactly sure at the time. Let me double check that
(00:28):
on the time. Flight eight seventy six returned to Hartsfield
Jackson on Monday after the crew reported seeing Hayes in
the flight deck. I saw some of the video tonight
on the evening newscast, and it was a lot more
than Hayes. To me, it looked like possible smoke inside
the aircraft, prompting the pilot, according to New York Times,
declare an emergency and passengers to evacuate by slides once
(00:51):
it safely landed. That Boeing seven seventeen aircraft was headed
for Columbia, South Carolina. That is not a long flight.
Returned to the Atlanta airp around nine am. Ninety Four
passengers as well as five crew members were aboard. Of course,
the flight crew members reacted and no serious injuries apparently here.
(01:14):
But it looks as if a couple of passengers were
treated by medical folks on the scene. Now, I think
all of us saw what happened in Toronto last weekend
when I Delta jet that had left Minneapolis was trying
to land at Toronto Pearson Airport, which is named after
(01:37):
it was Lester Pearson, former Prime Minister of Canada. My
Canadian listeners will tell me if I'm right or wrong
on that flipped over in the Toomac injury at least
eighteen people. The airline is offering a thirty thousand dollars
reward to each passenger was on the flight, but I
know at least two passengers have already decided to sue.
(01:58):
On Saturday, adulta flight carrying one hundred and sixty two
people took off from Los Angeles International Inport headed to Sydney, Australia,
had to return to the airport after smoke was detected
in the galley. I hadn't even heard about that. And
of course the flight that all of us have heard
about and saw and were so you know, I mean,
(02:21):
sixty seven people killed when an Army helicopter on a
training mission collided as it was headed into a Reagan
National Airport over the Potomac River on January twenty ninth,
and that took the lives of all sixty seven people,
including several from the Boston area, not that their lives
(02:43):
are any more important, but obviously when it's folks from
the Boston area, it hit pretty close to home, the
Boston Skating Club. So as a consequence, there was a
pole recently taken. It was taken I think after the
(03:06):
January twenty ninth crash in Washington, d C. After the
there was a plane crash in Alaska and a small
plane crash who was a medical plane in Philadelphia that
crashed on takeoff in Philadelphia, but before the plane flipped
while landing up in Toronto. And again according to this pole,
(03:31):
which is an Associated Press poll, it's said sixty four
percent of American people think that flying in a plane
is safe, a very or somewhat safe. That compares to
(03:54):
sixty five percent of people who think it's safe or
somewhat safe to just be walking, and sixty three percent
believe it's safe, very safe, or somewhat safe to be
in a car. So it's kind of interesting in terms
of the other side of the equation very or somewhat unsafe,
(04:18):
seventeen percent walking and seventeen percent of the car numbers
are always tough to do, and twenty percent of a plane.
The worst numbers were not walking, flying, or driving or
being driven. The worst numbers were local subway, metro or
(04:43):
light rail systems. So fifty three percent so the said
those were various somewhat safe, but twenty three percent say
they were very or somewhat unsafe. Now, I gotta tell you,
I probably feel and maybe it's because of what plane
(05:09):
crashes we've seen recently, that number has dropped. Last year,
seventy one percent of US adults said they thought that
air travel plane travel was either very or somewhat safe.
(05:29):
That figure is down to sixty four percent, So that's
about a ten percent drop in within a year. Now
it goes on and breaks it down according to the
gender and this AP poll says men, older people, and
(05:52):
college graduates are more likely to think planes are safe.
So for example, college graduate it's eighty three percent think
planes are safe or somewhat safe. Non college graduates only
fifty four percent. That's a big disparity. Men, by a
(06:13):
margin of seventy one to fifty eight percent think planes
are safe or somewhat safe. And then older people forty
five and older compared to people between eighteen and forty
four think that planes are safe. So that is what
it means when it says men, older people in college graduates.
(06:35):
So if you are an older person who happens to
be male and a college graduate, probably you think it's
pretty safe. This PAUL was conducted February sixth through the
tenth Now overall again in January of twenty two, twenty four,
(07:01):
seventy one percent of people thought air travel was safe
for someone safe. The distinctions between Democrats, independents, and Republicans,
there was some difference. Democrats felt safer, Republicans felt worth
(07:23):
seventy percent. Democrats were seventy six percent, Independence were sixty
one percent. That's kind of interesting that the independent is
the one that who describes themselves politically thinks that it's
that it's somewhat unsafe in twenty twenty five. This month,
(07:46):
the overall number had dropped from seventy one to sixty four.
There wasn't much of a drop amongst Republicans, it was
just down one percent, seventy to sixty nine. The drop
amongst Democrats was significantly more seventy six thought it was
really safe if you were a Democrat, and now it's
not a sixty nine percent. Part of that might be
(08:08):
that they don't have as much faith in Donald Trump.
But in January of twenty twenty four, sixty one percent
of independence thought air travel was safe or somewhat safe.
Now it's not a forty three percent. That's like a
fifty percent drop amongst independent people. And and then there's
(08:30):
another question here dealing with air safety. The public has
the most confidence in pilots, at least in the federal
government to maintain air safety. So a great deal or
a moderate amount we trust pilots eighty four percent. Air
traffic control is somewhat smaller seventy seven percent, but pretty close.
(08:58):
Commercial airlines seventy So we trust pilots, air traffic controllers,
and commercial airlines. Federal government agencies only fifty five percent.
So I think those numbers are really interesting. Okay, So
(09:21):
I like to throw it out to you. There's no right,
there's no wrong answer here. But my question is pretty simple.
Have the most recent air incidents tragedies? The crash over
the Potomac River, which should have been avoided, The crash
(09:45):
landing in which no one died in Toronto compared to
the sixty seven souls who lost their lives in Washington,
and to these other various and sundry incidents. Whether it's
smoking the cabin today in Atlanta over the weekend, and
a plane going from LA to Sydney, Australia, and smaller planes,
(10:10):
I feel a lot. I feel safer in a big
commercial plane. I don't know why, but I do. Smaller
planes and helicopters always kind of freaked me out. So
my question is, are you in any way, shape or
form impacted by this? Have you changed your travel plans?
(10:33):
Have you decided I'm going to take a train to
Washington or to New York. I don't really need that
airline ticket. Or have you decided the next time I
go to New York or Washington, I'll take the train
or I'll drive. Driving I think is crazy, but that's
a story for another time. Have you changed your attitude
towards being in the ear in that silver tube or
(10:55):
that metal tube and you have no control. I think
most of us think, hey, if I'm driving, and even
if I hit a patch of ice, or if there's
an accident in front of me. I I'm in control
when you're when you're in row thirty three c B.
You have no control if there's a problem. So let's
(11:17):
let's talk about a serious subject. But I'd love to
get your point of view. Six one seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
We have Rob Brooks is off tonight. Okay, Mike Templeton
is there, so let's uh, let's get Mike's night a
little busy here, Light up these folk lines six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty six one seven, two, five,
(11:38):
four ten thirty. Air travel. Have the incidents of the
last month, month and a half have they changed your
attitudes towards air travel in any way? Coming back on
night Side.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Radio, talking about your you towards air travel. I have
phonn on my share of airplanes in my life. I
must tell you that I've had some landings that were
no fun. I've had, and I'm sure some of you
have had as well. I've had a couple of fly arounds,
(12:19):
or at least one fly a round that I specifically remember,
which I'll be happy to tell you, but I much
prefer to hear from you from your stories. And I've
had one plane which we returned to Logan Airport because
they were afraid that there was some a device on
the plane. And the pilot was very calm, cool and collected.
(12:45):
We had just left Washington, going left Boston going to
Washington the day after Ronald Reagan baumb Olivia, and we
maybe were ten minutes out, which is a good part
of the flight. The flight's only about probably seventy eighty
minutes in those days. And the pilot came on and
he was had his pilot voice, and he said, well, folks,
(13:06):
we got a little bit of a light up here
on the dashboard. I remember he used the word dashboard.
And he said, we're just going to swing on back
to Logan Airport, get it fixed, and we'll be back
up in a few minutes, so we'll get you to
Washington on time. Just sit back and relax. And I
looked back at the flight attendance and they were all
sitting there looking very nervous. Apparently there'd have been a
(13:27):
woman who had gotten on the plane loader, who luggaged
on the plane and had not on boarded the plane,
and so the count, the passenger count that did not reconciund.
And this is nineteen eighty six, this is long before
nine to eleven, and that pilot dropped the plane to
sea level. I mean we were coming in probably five
(13:48):
hundred feet above the water, above the water, and he
just hauled into the Logan Airports April. I was with
the camera guy, Bruce Ban at that time, if I
recall correctly, and then the pilot told us had off
the plane a back door. Everybody off quickly. Fire trucks
were out there, the guys in the aluminum suits, and
it was pretty clear that they thought they had a
serious situation. As it turned out, the woman had had
(14:13):
had had an argument with her boyfriend at the gate
and did not get on the plane. But tensions were
pretty high. And I'll tell you when we were flying
back in there, there are a lot of people, including me,
say in prayers. Let's get to the phones. Let me
go first off too, Paul in Ontario, Hi, Paul, how
are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I'm doing very well, Dan, how are you good?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
What's been the reaction up in Ontario and up in
Canada to that horrific crash that, thank god, no one
died at Was it Lester Pearson? Was he the Prime
Minister of Canada, for whom the Toronto Airport was.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Named, He sure was, Yeah, And that's the second major
accident at Pearson Airport over the last ten years. There
was an Air France plane or jet rather that crash
landed probably around twenty fifteen twenty sixteen, and it burst
(15:12):
into flames as well, and everyone survived. So it's very unnerving.
We drive by the airport quite frequently and the expressway
is right next to the airport, and the jets literally
looked like they're going to land on the freeway. So
it was unnerving, and I can certainly say from my
(15:34):
perspective it does make me more nervous about flying when
there's a few of these incidents in a close timeframe.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Wow, I'm looking at this Air France flight three point
fifty eight, regularly scheduled flight from Charles de Gaul Airport
in Paris to Toronto the afternoon of August second, two
thousand and five, so it's almost twenty years ago. Well yeah,
and he's an airport and airbus that's a big plane
(16:04):
operating the route over ran the runway and crashed into
nearby at the Piccoke Creek approximately Tobicoke Creek. Yeah, okay
and okay, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
The irony of that situation was that evening we were
picking up my wife and I were picking up her
brother who was flying in from Sydney, Australia, and the
wreckage of the Air France aircraft was still very visible.
So that that's really unnerving.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So it said three hundred and not big plane. Three
hundred and nine people on board survived, although twelve sustained
serious injuries. You know, there's a lot of airports I
flew into, you know, Miami recently, and most airports you
do go over highways, and and certainly in Washington when
you flying in a Reagan, there's there's all sorts of
(16:59):
highways underneath and you're looking down. And that's probably the
very few inp what's were there on highways because they
want people to be able to get there, when you
think about it, but that's true.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
My wife and I were actually in Washington a couple
of years ago, and we noticed the high volume of
air traffic, helicopters and aircraft going over that very narrow
stretch along the Potomac River. And you know, when I
heard what had happened, it wasn't shocking because just the
(17:31):
number of aircraft. And I believe that way back in
the in the eighties, there was another aircraft that crashed
into the Potomac River, if I remember.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
The Potomac said, you corrected the name of your river,
so Potomac. And that was a plane that took off
and they had a problem with ice on the wings
and it crashed into a bridge and there were a
lot of fatalities on that plane, and there were some
people who were just walking by who jumped into the river.
As a matter of there was one guy, forget his name,
Lenny was his first name, and he was a genuine hero.
(18:05):
I mean it was in January, and at that time
Ronald Reagan was present. I think that he became a
guest of Reagan at the State of the Union address
as a true American hero. He saved people's lives that
day and was.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Just and that evening the evening of that crash, my
sister and her husband were flying down to Florida, and
back back in the eighties, he didn't get information as
quickly as you do now. When I had heard a
plane had crashed. That was the first thing that crossed
my mind. So, of course, yeah, horrible, I find Oh sorry.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You give your final thought here because I'm coming up
with my newsbreaker right ahead.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Oh, no problem. I just wanted to I just wanted
to say, the longer the flight, the more unnerving we've
flow into Australia. When you're in the air for fourteen
and a half hours from Vancouver to Sydney, that I
find the most unnerving, and simply because you wonder where
the plane could land if it ran into trouble.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Well, I guess over the water. Yeah, but I always
worry about takeoff and landings. That's my I feel. Once
you're up, you know, ten fifteen thousand feet, you're pretty good. Obviously,
planes can can have problems, but it's takeoff and landings.
We had a bad plane crash here back in this
(19:21):
early seventies, a plane that hit the sea wall here
and flipped over. I think it was nineteen seven July
of nineteen seventy three. And those are the things because
there's such a tremendous loss of life that you remember,
And of course the one that everyone remembers was when
Captain Sullivan landed the plane in the Hudson River and
you had that pictures of the plane floating with people
(19:42):
standing one January, and that would have been I'm guessing
back in two thousand and nine, if I'm not.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Mistaken, remember it. Well, yeah, I saw the movie as well.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, Hey, Paul, always great to you your voice call
more offen, my friend. I miss hearing from you.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Okay, okay, Well do you take care of Dan? Have
an icy YouTube?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
All six one, seven, two, four, ten thirty. One line
there six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Have
recent air crashes given you pause about whether or not
you're likely to fly the friendly skies of United or
any other airlines? Or have you decided maybe they're from
now on some of those trains. I mean, I think
(20:21):
trains are a great way to travel if you have
the time. We back on nightside. The only lines open
right now are six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty.
Feel free to light it up. Coming back on nightside.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
All right, back to the cause we go. The question
of the hour is has this spate of plane crash
you know, we didn't have a big plane crash in
America from I think it's like two thousand and ten.
I forget the last big one. We went quite a
number of years in terms of America. Now, there were
(20:59):
some other lanes. The Malaysian plane that disappeared. I don't
think they've ever found that one. You had a couple
of planes, I think the Russian shot down leading up
to the Ukraine War. But in terms of US air travel,
it was a remarkably safe run up until the helicopter
crash into the plane that took sixty seven lives. Next up,
(21:23):
we're gonna go to Eileen. Hi, Eileen, welcome back. How
are you?
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I'm good?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (21:29):
How are you good?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
How you've traveled by plane? You've been on the same
plane on some of our trips as a.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
Matter of fact, absolutely wonderful, wonderful trips. But I think
the next trip I want to take will be the
Great Lakes by boat.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Yeah, that's a great trip. I've heard that people. Matter
of fact, a friend of mine did that. I think
they they went to Toronto, to Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, there
were several major cities.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yeah, the.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Saint Lawrence River, that's a very interesting part of our country.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
So I guess the question at hand is is have
these recent plane accidents caused you to back away from
airline trips?
Speaker 5 (22:25):
Absolutely, And it's it's not just the accidents, but there's
so many planes up there now, and we're so concerned
about air pollution and climate change, and I wonder if
all of these airplanes flying around up there aren't contributing
(22:46):
to pollution and climate change.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I'm sure they are. I mean, and I suspect everything contributes,
meaning automobiles, uh, you know, every trains, everything. But I
think we had is that you have everybody now wants
to be able to get an airplane and fly air
Air travel has become in the last twenty years, ironically,
(23:10):
after you know, nine to eleven has become very common.
Air travel is like what used to be bus travel.
It's not special anymore, in my opinion, but ticket prices
are such that people could do it, and there's more
airlines there. But you're right, I mean, when you look
(23:30):
at the planes taking off or landing at some of
our major airports, it's like, who can you know those
those air traffic control is they got to be on tropicy.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
I lean, yeah, but I think they're big polluters too.
I mean, I think I think we should consider how
much climate change might be caused by Maybe.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
We can talk more about that some night as well.
I think that's an interesting topic. Ileen is always great.
Hear your voice. You sounds strong. We will talk soon.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
Okay, okay, yep, thanks Dan, good night.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Uh So that opens up one at six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty. And we got a couple at six
one seven nine three one ten thirty have recent plane
accidents because they are accidents. Remember we had a couple
of crashes that well, there was that one off the
coast of Long Island that they believe one of the
(24:32):
pilots might have intentionally taken the plane down. I don't
know how that ever turned out in terms of their investigation.
I think that was but at least well probably more
than fifteen years ago. Let's go next to my friend
Jim in Kansas City. Jim, you're next. You fly much
or no? Jim?
Speaker 7 (24:53):
Dan, Hey, thanks for taking my call. Uh I fly
very infrequently? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Is that by design or.
Speaker 7 (25:06):
Yeah? I mean I've lived pretty intentionally.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
And you know what I say was, Jim, some people
have jobs where they have to fly. Some people have
jobs where they don't have to fly and they have
no interest in it. Is that your category? You just
assume stay on the ground of terra firma.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
I'm interviewed for a job one time city rent a truck,
and he was talking about having me drive a bunch
of pickup trucks out out west and then fly back.
And I told I stood up in the middle of
the interview and I told him, thanks very much, I
am not interested in the job. I'm just so I mean,
(25:47):
I just you know, I think people that do it
do it of their own volition, public forces them on there.
But to answer, just to answer your question before we
get too far down the road. No, it hasn't changed
into my likelihood of flying at all, because I would
avoid it, like the plague. I feel like it's just
(26:08):
like a like a claustrophobic inside there, like and like
they take all of your freedoms and your rights away
from you. They're listen, you know, And I would just
assume drive because when you get there, you got to
rent a car anyway, and if you're run into trouble,
you can actually sleep in the vehicle. You can have
unlimited baggage in the vehicle, whatever you want. So my
(26:31):
likelihood of that of flying is very low. It's possible,
but it's very low. Some other things that I wanted
to say, was it the way when.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
They excuse me, what's sam when they say you take
away your freedoms? When you think about it, okay, Uh,
the only freedom that you really lose, well, you can't
smoke on airplanes anymore. Okay, but you know, and you
have to buckle up and you gotta sit in your seat.
(27:02):
What of the freedoms do you lose? You can't you
can't jump out of the plane, right, you know.
Speaker 7 (27:09):
It's what you say you can't say. There's a lot
of words that you can't say. If they hear you
say them, you're in trouble.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Regardless if you say, if you say I want to
hijack this plane, I guarantee you you're going to have
a couple of people putting hand cups on you. But
but what person would say that? Seriously?
Speaker 7 (27:29):
Well, I don't think you have to say something like that.
It's not it doesn't. But I just would not do
it because I just love.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
You're an independent soul. By the way, I can see
you standing up when you said to me, you describe
how you stood up and set.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
There was no movie. There was no movie about p
S A Flight number one eighty two. And I'll tell
you something else too. Here's the way I see it.
I think the people on the airplane, I don't understand
why the people on the airplane get compensation. I think
the people who should get compensation, or the people on
the ground. The way I see it, the people that
(28:05):
are on the airplane are like co conspirators there.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
They I think that's a that's a fairly radical point
of view, but that's okay. Well, by the way.
Speaker 7 (28:16):
People, by the way, the guy in Canada was saying
just exactly that. He was saying that. He was saying
that every time he goes by there, he's scared that
a plane is going to crash on him. And I'm
not afraid of it. But I think it's a reasonable
it's a reasonable time.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I getting an elevator, Jim, I'm scared the elevator might
one of the cords might break, and I could, you know,
die in the elevator. Look, the thing is, if a
plane crashes into your house and hurts you or your family,
you'll end up being compensated. But if a plane flies
overhead and you're a little troubled by it, there's really
(28:54):
no cause of action you can take. Do you know
what I'm saying. I mean, there's no should be? Well
should be? What would you do like a noise noise
nuisance action or something.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Well, for one thing, I think when there's a plane crash,
all planes should be grounded until after we get a
rock solid And you alluded to it too, you said
you still don't even know whether that guy crashed the
plane intentionally because it's all like swept under the rug. Well,
we should be given rock solid answers about yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, Well, first of all, I don't have the report
in front of me, but there was some suggestion that
one of the pilots on that plane was suffering from
some sort of mental stress, I mean, which is one
of the reasons you got to put pilots through. You know.
It's one thing, if Jim is driving his car, what's
the main route in Kansas City?
Speaker 7 (29:40):
Route seventy, here's seventy or thirty thirty five, So if you're.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Driving twenty nine to Okay, I'm sorry, I don't know
all the roads, but if you're driving to Kansas City
and you're blowing down the road in one hundred and
twenty in your car and you crash into somebody, you
know that can happen to So it's part of yep,
you it is, it's part of it's part of life. Hey, Jim,
(30:07):
I got to run here, my man. You are always
one of my most interesting callers, whether we agree to disagree.
I think you know that.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Okay, yeah, thanks, thanks pal talk.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
So we'll take very quick break. The only line open
now is six one seven two five four to ten thirty.
We got uh the other line Cholman to be give
you the number because they want the confusions full up.
Six one seven two five four to ten thirty. Have
the plane crashes of the last month and there's been
a couple of big ones and a few little ones.
Has it changed your attitude your likelihood to get back
(30:39):
on a plane anytime soon? Back on nights Side after.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Now, back to Dan Way Live from the Window World
to Night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I don't know when my my sound went there that
get real low there for a second, h Mike, Okay,
notice for me anyway, Jason in Norwood. Jason next on Nightside,
Go right ahead, Hi.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
Dan, Hey Dan, I heard you.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
I'm well thanks. I heard you talking a week or
two ago. You mentioned flying in the glory days, when
it was bibilized and enjoyable. I used to love to fly.
I had am that took me across the Atlantic frequently,
and I was never a nervous flyer. I'm not really now.
I did have a few exciting incidents over the years,
(31:36):
but I'm less comfortable flying now. Not only has the
fun gone out of it, of course, and the miserable
experience in the airports, but I've lost all confidence in
Boeing aircraft. And it's not the recent crashes that have
cost me my caution. It's more what to me is
(31:58):
a pretty apparent of the COVID shots on the pilots,
pilots dropping dead in flight on the flight deck.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Uh that kind of thing. Whoa whoa, whoa whoa. How
often has that happened?
Speaker 7 (32:12):
Oh, it's happened, particularly after the shots were first out
and the mandates were very strict. There were quite a
number of those.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (32:21):
I read the I read some belongings of populated by
commercial flight pilots. I used to be a private pilot.
I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I got to be honest with you, Jason, I'd never
heard that or saw that. Obviously, out of any you know, population,
on any given day, however, many some people will drop dead.
But I've never and I'm please, don't, don't, miss don't.
I'm not suggesting that you're not telling me what you've read,
but I would assume that if there was a real
(32:52):
spike in what you talked about, that we would have
heard about it.
Speaker 8 (32:56):
I mean, well, the media dependent on the pharmaceutical companies
the seventy or eighty percent of their revenue. It's not
surprising that they don't cover it. What even alarmed me more, although.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
There's Jason, what alarmed me more on these commercial pilot
blogs was the back channel discussions about pilots that were
experiencing symptoms and concealing.
Speaker 8 (33:21):
Them because they didn't want to lose their jobs.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I understand that, But what I'm saying is there's a
variety of media out there, Jason, realistically, from the far
left to the far right, and a lot of them
are not relying upon pharmaceutical companies. First of all, most
legitimate news papers and television and radio stations. If there
(33:45):
really was a spate of pilots dropping dead in the
captain seat, I think we would have heard about it.
But that's okay.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
I mean, yeah, Well, if you're familiar with the company
flight Aware, they do a monthly new summary, and there
were about two years running where there were frequent coverage
on the flight Aware monthly summary of pilots who died
in flight on major airlines.
Speaker 8 (34:18):
It was happening. It's not happening so much.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Now.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
I'll tell you what flight aware is also also his
flight track or if I'm not mistaken, right, I'm looking
at flight aware right now. That's a legitimate site, okay.
And what they do is they track and they show you.
Right now, I'm looking at all the different airports and
all the planes that are flying in and out. You
can zoom in. It's a great website.
Speaker 8 (34:43):
It's a very legitimate company. You can subscribe to their
monthly email news summaries, and that's what if you're.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Ken, do me a favorite if you can, and you
can find right now. For example, they're currently and I'm
not sure if this is worldwide or the U there
are currently twelve five flights in the air right now.
Speaker 8 (35:07):
Now now, I'm not suggesting pilots were falling dead by
the dozens, but they were certainly falling dead by more
than the handfuls.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Oh yeah, favorite, if you go back and find any
of those old stories, get them to me. Okay, I
appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (35:21):
Well, I will do that. I know how to get
an email to you.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
I'll do that.
Speaker 8 (35:26):
I will say that. I'm also concerned about signs that,
for whatever reason, the air traffic control system, including the
pilots who are part of that system, seemed to be overtaxed.
I'll tell you what troubled me the most of all
was that incident about half the year ago in Austin,
(35:48):
where the airport wasn't busy. The controller cleared an incoming
FedEx flight to land on a particular runway that that
plane was coming in on short final and then very
shortly after that he cleared a Southwest aircraft to take
(36:08):
that runway to departure. And what really shocks me is
that the flight crew, who were listening to all the
communications and were well aware that FedEx plane was barreling
down onto their runway, they accepted the clearance and took
the runway. Fortunately, the fed X.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I'm not familiar with that one, Jason, so you know
I just.
Speaker 8 (36:34):
As well.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Jon, Jason, Jason, we've done six minutes. I got full lines.
I gotta get.
Speaker 8 (36:41):
I'll let you know. I just want to summarize. I
still fly, and about the only precaution I take is
I'm careful to wear natural fiber clothing for the very
unlikely event that I might be caught in the fire
one time during a crash.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Good suggestion, Thanks Jason, appreciate the call. Have a great night.
Let me go to Ian and sand into and helped
me out here and go right ahead.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
I Dan nice to speak with you. I'm with Eileen
about the pollution. I am very I was never too
concerned about science, but I am now hands down. Is
this because of the recent events? Yeah, I think that
(37:26):
maintenance is a problem. Parts and maintenance. The last time
I flew Domestic, which was more than a year ago,
it was such I was shocked at how old the
plane was.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Used. They could used a lot more now. I don't
know how much time they get for rest and repair
and maintenance. But boy, you're you're on a plane and
you realize that the plate is flying from Boston to
La and it's going back to Boston that afternoon. You know,
it's like or whatever.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
It's Yeah, I have a remembrance. I have a remembrance
for you. Do you remember there has anybody mentioned the
World Airway flight that skinned off the runway in Boston
in the middle of a snowstorm back in nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Oh yeah, well, no one's mentioned that. But I remember
being out at the end of that runway a night
or two later, and there were two individuals who were
flying who were up in the front of the plane.
Didn't be there, father and son, the Metcalfs.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Oh yeah, yeah, And they.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Were never found. That plane had left from San Francisco.
I believe it landed in Newark. And I remember being
at a I at a restaurant that afternoon. It was
a it was a horrible weather day, and I said
to someone that afternoon, I said, boy, I wouldn't want
to be flying in an airplane tonight, and sure get
(39:01):
it off the end of the runway. And they never
found the Metcalfs that that plane ended.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
In those in the harbor harbor, I see.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Harbor, And I remember being out there doing a live
shot a night or so later. And I've never been
in a situation where I was so cold that water
was running out of my eyes. They just came down
and yeah, so believe me, I remember that fly. I
remember that pretey we breezy. Oh it was more than breezy.
Speaker 8 (39:34):
Just yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
And I don't know that they I don't think they
ever found There were rumors, but the Metcalfs were father's
son and they were they believe they were on that plane. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
I wonder where they were seated up front.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
I don't think it was the first class or business class,
but I think that they were. They were plane, so
we'll see, you know, I don't know. I wish I
had more information on it. But that's a that's a
tough well, a tough memory for me.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Oh yeah, do you remember Locker in Boston?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Were you in Boston?
Speaker 8 (40:10):
Yes, I was in Boston at that time.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
Yeah, I left a few years later, but yes, And
I remember Marvelous Marvin Hackler was fighting. We were watching
his fight.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Wow. Yeah, it's a good memory of Marvelous Marvin.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah ja, yeah, great guy.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
I know Marvin pretty well.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Yeah, I loved him.
Speaker 7 (40:32):
Yeah, great, great, great guy.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah. The date of that by the way, that was
nineteen eighty two. I remembered it as being a little earlier.
You said eighty four. Was it was January nineteen.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
Eighty Jo, Yeah, yeah, there was somewhere in the early eighties.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Yeah, we got bosing passengers right here, the Metcalfs they
were from. I believe love to know what happened, you know,
if their family ever heard them. Seventy year old Walter
Metcalf and his forty year old son Leo boarded the
planet the last minute, and when not in the passenger
manifest during the crash, they ended up in the water
(41:10):
and with neither of them able to swim as presume
they had driving. Police divers sented the scene, but the
bodies of the pair never never found. All right, I've
got to run here. Thanks, thanks so much. You later,
all right, good night. I'd like to continue with this
into the next hour. If not, we'll go somewhere else.
Light the lines up back after this
It's night Side with Dan Ray. I'm lazy, Boston's new
radio heer.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome back everyone. A Delta plane today made an emergency landing.
They deployed slides in Atlanta. The Delta flight eight seventy
six was headed to South Carolina this afternoon. I'm not
exactly sure at the time. Let me double check that
(00:28):
on the time. Flight eight seventy six returned to Hartsfield
Jackson on Monday after the crew reported seeing Hayes in
the flight deck. I saw some of the video tonight
on the evening newscast, and it was a lot more
than Hayes. To me, it looked like possible smoke inside
the aircraft, prompting the pilot, according to New York Times,
declare an emergency and passengers to evacuate by slides once
(00:51):
it safely landed. That Boeing seven seventeen aircraft was headed
for Columbia, South Carolina. That is not a long flight.
Returned to the Atlanta airp around nine am. Ninety Four
passengers as well as five crew members were aboard. Of course,
the flight crew members reacted and no serious injuries apparently here.
(01:14):
But it looks as if a couple of passengers were
treated by medical folks on the scene. Now, I think
all of us saw what happened in Toronto last weekend
when I Delta jet that had left Minneapolis was trying
to land at Toronto Pearson Airport, which is named after
(01:37):
it was Lester Pearson, former Prime Minister of Canada. My
Canadian listeners will tell me if I'm right or wrong
on that flipped over in the Toomac injury at least
eighteen people. The airline is offering a thirty thousand dollars
reward to each passenger was on the flight, but I
know at least two passengers have already decided to sue.
(01:58):
On Saturday, adulta flight carrying one hundred and sixty two
people took off from Los Angeles International Inport headed to Sydney, Australia,
had to return to the airport after smoke was detected
in the galley. I hadn't even heard about that. And
of course the flight that all of us have heard
about and saw and were so you know, I mean,
(02:21):
sixty seven people killed when an Army helicopter on a
training mission collided as it was headed into a Reagan
National Airport over the Potomac River on January twenty ninth,
and that took the lives of all sixty seven people,
including several from the Boston area, not that their lives
(02:43):
are any more important, but obviously when it's folks from
the Boston area, it hit pretty close to home, the
Boston Skating Club. So as a consequence, there was a
pole recently taken. It was taken I think after the
(03:06):
January twenty ninth crash in Washington, d C. After the
there was a plane crash in Alaska and a small
plane crash who was a medical plane in Philadelphia that
crashed on takeoff in Philadelphia, but before the plane flipped
while landing up in Toronto. And again according to this pole,
(03:31):
which is an Associated Press poll, it's said sixty four
percent of American people think that flying in a plane
is safe, a very or somewhat safe. That compares to
(03:54):
sixty five percent of people who think it's safe or
somewhat safe to just be walking, and sixty three percent
believe it's safe, very safe, or somewhat safe to be
in a car. So it's kind of interesting in terms
of the other side of the equation very or somewhat unsafe,
(04:18):
seventeen percent walking and seventeen percent of the car numbers
are always tough to do, and twenty percent of a plane.
The worst numbers were not walking, flying, or driving or
being driven. The worst numbers were local subway, metro or
(04:43):
light rail systems. So fifty three percent so the said
those were various somewhat safe, but twenty three percent say
they were very or somewhat unsafe. Now, I gotta tell you,
I probably feel and maybe it's because of what plane
(05:09):
crashes we've seen recently, that number has dropped. Last year,
seventy one percent of US adults said they thought that
air travel plane travel was either very or somewhat safe.
(05:29):
That figure is down to sixty four percent, So that's
about a ten percent drop in within a year. Now
it goes on and breaks it down according to the
gender and this AP poll says men, older people, and
(05:52):
college graduates are more likely to think planes are safe.
So for example, college graduate it's eighty three percent think
planes are safe or somewhat safe. Non college graduates only
fifty four percent. That's a big disparity. Men, by a
(06:13):
margin of seventy one to fifty eight percent think planes
are safe or somewhat safe. And then older people forty
five and older compared to people between eighteen and forty
four think that planes are safe. So that is what
it means when it says men, older people in college graduates.
(06:35):
So if you are an older person who happens to
be male and a college graduate, probably you think it's
pretty safe. This PAUL was conducted February sixth through the
tenth Now overall again in January of twenty two, twenty four,
(07:01):
seventy one percent of people thought air travel was safe
for someone safe. The distinctions between Democrats, independents, and Republicans,
there was some difference. Democrats felt safer, Republicans felt worth
(07:23):
seventy percent. Democrats were seventy six percent, Independence were sixty
one percent. That's kind of interesting that the independent is
the one that who describes themselves politically thinks that it's
that it's somewhat unsafe in twenty twenty five. This month,
(07:46):
the overall number had dropped from seventy one to sixty four.
There wasn't much of a drop amongst Republicans, it was
just down one percent, seventy to sixty nine. The drop
amongst Democrats was significantly more seventy six thought it was
really safe if you were a Democrat, and now it's
not a sixty nine percent. Part of that might be
(08:08):
that they don't have as much faith in Donald Trump.
But in January of twenty twenty four, sixty one percent
of independence thought air travel was safe or somewhat safe.
Now it's not a forty three percent. That's like a
fifty percent drop amongst independent people. And and then there's
(08:30):
another question here dealing with air safety. The public has
the most confidence in pilots, at least in the federal
government to maintain air safety. So a great deal or
a moderate amount we trust pilots eighty four percent. Air
traffic control is somewhat smaller seventy seven percent, but pretty close.
(08:58):
Commercial airlines seventy So we trust pilots, air traffic controllers,
and commercial airlines. Federal government agencies only fifty five percent.
So I think those numbers are really interesting. Okay, So
(09:21):
I like to throw it out to you. There's no right,
there's no wrong answer here. But my question is pretty simple.
Have the most recent air incidents tragedies? The crash over
the Potomac River, which should have been avoided, The crash
(09:45):
landing in which no one died in Toronto compared to
the sixty seven souls who lost their lives in Washington,
and to these other various and sundry incidents. Whether it's
smoking the cabin today in Atlanta over the weekend, and
a plane going from LA to Sydney, Australia, and smaller planes,
(10:10):
I feel a lot. I feel safer in a big
commercial plane. I don't know why, but I do. Smaller
planes and helicopters always kind of freaked me out. So
my question is, are you in any way, shape or
form impacted by this? Have you changed your travel plans?
(10:33):
Have you decided I'm going to take a train to
Washington or to New York. I don't really need that
airline ticket. Or have you decided the next time I
go to New York or Washington, I'll take the train
or I'll drive. Driving I think is crazy, but that's
a story for another time. Have you changed your attitude
towards being in the ear in that silver tube or
(10:55):
that metal tube and you have no control. I think
most of us think, hey, if I'm driving, and even
if I hit a patch of ice, or if there's
an accident in front of me. I I'm in control
when you're when you're in row thirty three c B.
You have no control if there's a problem. So let's
(11:17):
let's talk about a serious subject. But I'd love to
get your point of view. Six one seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
We have Rob Brooks is off tonight. Okay, Mike Templeton
is there, so let's uh, let's get Mike's night a
little busy here, Light up these folk lines six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty six one seven, two, five,
(11:38):
four ten thirty. Air travel. Have the incidents of the
last month, month and a half have they changed your
attitudes towards air travel in any way? Coming back on
night Side.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Radio, talking about your you towards air travel. I have
phonn on my share of airplanes in my life. I
must tell you that I've had some landings that were
no fun. I've had, and I'm sure some of you
have had as well. I've had a couple of fly arounds,
(12:19):
or at least one fly a round that I specifically remember,
which I'll be happy to tell you, but I much
prefer to hear from you from your stories. And I've
had one plane which we returned to Logan Airport because
they were afraid that there was some a device on
the plane. And the pilot was very calm, cool and collected.
(12:45):
We had just left Washington, going left Boston going to
Washington the day after Ronald Reagan baumb Olivia, and we
maybe were ten minutes out, which is a good part
of the flight. The flight's only about probably seventy eighty
minutes in those days. And the pilot came on and
he was had his pilot voice, and he said, well, folks,
(13:06):
we got a little bit of a light up here
on the dashboard. I remember he used the word dashboard.
And he said, we're just going to swing on back
to Logan Airport, get it fixed, and we'll be back
up in a few minutes, so we'll get you to
Washington on time. Just sit back and relax. And I
looked back at the flight attendance and they were all
sitting there looking very nervous. Apparently there'd have been a
(13:27):
woman who had gotten on the plane loader, who luggaged
on the plane and had not on boarded the plane,
and so the count, the passenger count that did not reconciund.
And this is nineteen eighty six, this is long before
nine to eleven, and that pilot dropped the plane to
sea level. I mean we were coming in probably five
(13:48):
hundred feet above the water, above the water, and he
just hauled into the Logan Airports April. I was with
the camera guy, Bruce Ban at that time, if I
recall correctly, and then the pilot told us had off
the plane a back door. Everybody off quickly. Fire trucks
were out there, the guys in the aluminum suits, and
it was pretty clear that they thought they had a
serious situation. As it turned out, the woman had had
(14:13):
had had an argument with her boyfriend at the gate
and did not get on the plane. But tensions were
pretty high. And I'll tell you when we were flying
back in there, there are a lot of people, including me,
say in prayers. Let's get to the phones. Let me
go first off too, Paul in Ontario, Hi, Paul, how
are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I'm doing very well, Dan, how are you good?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
What's been the reaction up in Ontario and up in
Canada to that horrific crash that, thank god, no one
died at Was it Lester Pearson? Was he the Prime
Minister of Canada, for whom the Toronto Airport was.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Named, He sure was, Yeah, And that's the second major
accident at Pearson Airport over the last ten years. There
was an Air France plane or jet rather that crash
landed probably around twenty fifteen twenty sixteen, and it burst
(15:12):
into flames as well, and everyone survived. So it's very unnerving.
We drive by the airport quite frequently and the expressway
is right next to the airport, and the jets literally
looked like they're going to land on the freeway. So
it was unnerving, and I can certainly say from my
(15:34):
perspective it does make me more nervous about flying when
there's a few of these incidents in a close timeframe.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Wow, I'm looking at this Air France flight three point
fifty eight, regularly scheduled flight from Charles de Gaul Airport
in Paris to Toronto the afternoon of August second, two
thousand and five, so it's almost twenty years ago. Well yeah,
and he's an airport and airbus that's a big plane
(16:04):
operating the route over ran the runway and crashed into
nearby at the Piccoke Creek approximately Tobicoke Creek. Yeah, okay
and okay, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
The irony of that situation was that evening we were
picking up my wife and I were picking up her
brother who was flying in from Sydney, Australia, and the
wreckage of the Air France aircraft was still very visible.
So that that's really unnerving.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So it said three hundred and not big plane. Three
hundred and nine people on board survived, although twelve sustained
serious injuries. You know, there's a lot of airports I
flew into, you know, Miami recently, and most airports you
do go over highways, and and certainly in Washington when
you flying in a Reagan, there's there's all sorts of
(16:59):
highways underneath and you're looking down. And that's probably the
very few inp what's were there on highways because they
want people to be able to get there, when you
think about it, but that's true.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
My wife and I were actually in Washington a couple
of years ago, and we noticed the high volume of
air traffic, helicopters and aircraft going over that very narrow
stretch along the Potomac River. And you know, when I
heard what had happened, it wasn't shocking because just the
(17:31):
number of aircraft. And I believe that way back in
the in the eighties, there was another aircraft that crashed
into the Potomac River, if I remember.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
The Potomac said, you corrected the name of your river,
so Potomac. And that was a plane that took off
and they had a problem with ice on the wings
and it crashed into a bridge and there were a
lot of fatalities on that plane, and there were some
people who were just walking by who jumped into the river.
As a matter of there was one guy, forget his name,
Lenny was his first name, and he was a genuine hero.
(18:05):
I mean it was in January, and at that time
Ronald Reagan was present. I think that he became a
guest of Reagan at the State of the Union address
as a true American hero. He saved people's lives that
day and was.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Just and that evening the evening of that crash, my
sister and her husband were flying down to Florida, and
back back in the eighties, he didn't get information as
quickly as you do now. When I had heard a
plane had crashed. That was the first thing that crossed
my mind. So, of course, yeah, horrible, I find Oh sorry.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You give your final thought here because I'm coming up
with my newsbreaker right ahead.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Oh, no problem. I just wanted to I just wanted
to say, the longer the flight, the more unnerving we've
flow into Australia. When you're in the air for fourteen
and a half hours from Vancouver to Sydney, that I
find the most unnerving, and simply because you wonder where
the plane could land if it ran into trouble.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Well, I guess over the water. Yeah, but I always
worry about takeoff and landings. That's my I feel. Once
you're up, you know, ten fifteen thousand feet, you're pretty good. Obviously,
planes can can have problems, but it's takeoff and landings.
We had a bad plane crash here back in this
(19:21):
early seventies, a plane that hit the sea wall here
and flipped over. I think it was nineteen seven July
of nineteen seventy three. And those are the things because
there's such a tremendous loss of life that you remember,
And of course the one that everyone remembers was when
Captain Sullivan landed the plane in the Hudson River and
you had that pictures of the plane floating with people
(19:42):
standing one January, and that would have been I'm guessing
back in two thousand and nine, if I'm not.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Mistaken, remember it. Well, yeah, I saw the movie as well.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, Hey, Paul, always great to you your voice call
more offen, my friend. I miss hearing from you.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Okay, okay, Well do you take care of Dan? Have
an icy YouTube?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
All six one, seven, two, four, ten thirty. One line
there six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Have
recent air crashes given you pause about whether or not
you're likely to fly the friendly skies of United or
any other airlines? Or have you decided maybe they're from
now on some of those trains. I mean, I think
(20:21):
trains are a great way to travel if you have
the time. We back on nightside. The only lines open
right now are six one, seven, nine, three, one ten thirty.
Feel free to light it up. Coming back on nightside.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
All right, back to the cause we go. The question
of the hour is has this spate of plane crash
you know, we didn't have a big plane crash in
America from I think it's like two thousand and ten.
I forget the last big one. We went quite a
number of years in terms of America. Now, there were
(20:59):
some other lanes. The Malaysian plane that disappeared. I don't
think they've ever found that one. You had a couple
of planes, I think the Russian shot down leading up
to the Ukraine War. But in terms of US air travel,
it was a remarkably safe run up until the helicopter
crash into the plane that took sixty seven lives. Next up,
(21:23):
we're gonna go to Eileen. Hi, Eileen, welcome back. How
are you?
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I'm good?
Speaker 5 (21:29):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (21:29):
How are you good?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
How you've traveled by plane? You've been on the same
plane on some of our trips as a.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
Matter of fact, absolutely wonderful, wonderful trips. But I think
the next trip I want to take will be the
Great Lakes by boat.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Yeah, that's a great trip. I've heard that people. Matter
of fact, a friend of mine did that. I think
they they went to Toronto, to Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, there
were several major cities.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yeah, the.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Saint Lawrence River, that's a very interesting part of our country.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
So I guess the question at hand is is have
these recent plane accidents caused you to back away from
airline trips?
Speaker 5 (22:25):
Absolutely, And it's it's not just the accidents, but there's
so many planes up there now, and we're so concerned
about air pollution and climate change, and I wonder if
all of these airplanes flying around up there aren't contributing
(22:46):
to pollution and climate change.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I'm sure they are. I mean, and I suspect everything contributes,
meaning automobiles, uh, you know, every trains, everything. But I
think we had is that you have everybody now wants
to be able to get an airplane and fly air
Air travel has become in the last twenty years, ironically,
(23:10):
after you know, nine to eleven has become very common.
Air travel is like what used to be bus travel.
It's not special anymore, in my opinion, but ticket prices
are such that people could do it, and there's more
airlines there. But you're right, I mean, when you look
(23:30):
at the planes taking off or landing at some of
our major airports, it's like, who can you know those
those air traffic control is they got to be on tropicy.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
I lean, yeah, but I think they're big polluters too.
I mean, I think I think we should consider how
much climate change might be caused by Maybe.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
We can talk more about that some night as well.
I think that's an interesting topic. Ileen is always great.
Hear your voice. You sounds strong. We will talk soon.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
Okay, okay, yep, thanks Dan, good night.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Uh So that opens up one at six one, seven, two, five,
four ten thirty. And we got a couple at six
one seven nine three one ten thirty have recent plane
accidents because they are accidents. Remember we had a couple
of crashes that well, there was that one off the
coast of Long Island that they believe one of the
(24:32):
pilots might have intentionally taken the plane down. I don't
know how that ever turned out in terms of their investigation.
I think that was but at least well probably more
than fifteen years ago. Let's go next to my friend
Jim in Kansas City. Jim, you're next. You fly much
or no? Jim?
Speaker 7 (24:53):
Dan, Hey, thanks for taking my call. Uh I fly
very infrequently? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Is that by design or.
Speaker 7 (25:06):
Yeah? I mean I've lived pretty intentionally.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
And you know what I say was, Jim, some people
have jobs where they have to fly. Some people have
jobs where they don't have to fly and they have
no interest in it. Is that your category? You just
assume stay on the ground of terra firma.
Speaker 7 (25:25):
I'm interviewed for a job one time city rent a truck,
and he was talking about having me drive a bunch
of pickup trucks out out west and then fly back.
And I told I stood up in the middle of
the interview and I told him, thanks very much, I
am not interested in the job. I'm just so I mean,
(25:47):
I just you know, I think people that do it
do it of their own volition, public forces them on there.
But to answer, just to answer your question before we
get too far down the road. No, it hasn't changed
into my likelihood of flying at all, because I would
avoid it, like the plague. I feel like it's just
(26:08):
like a like a claustrophobic inside there, like and like
they take all of your freedoms and your rights away
from you. They're listen, you know, And I would just
assume drive because when you get there, you got to
rent a car anyway, and if you're run into trouble,
you can actually sleep in the vehicle. You can have
unlimited baggage in the vehicle, whatever you want. So my
(26:31):
likelihood of that of flying is very low. It's possible,
but it's very low. Some other things that I wanted
to say, was it the way when.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
They excuse me, what's sam when they say you take
away your freedoms? When you think about it, okay, Uh,
the only freedom that you really lose, well, you can't
smoke on airplanes anymore. Okay, but you know, and you
have to buckle up and you gotta sit in your seat.
(27:02):
What of the freedoms do you lose? You can't you
can't jump out of the plane, right, you know.
Speaker 7 (27:09):
It's what you say you can't say. There's a lot
of words that you can't say. If they hear you
say them, you're in trouble.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Regardless if you say, if you say I want to
hijack this plane, I guarantee you you're going to have
a couple of people putting hand cups on you. But
but what person would say that? Seriously?
Speaker 7 (27:29):
Well, I don't think you have to say something like that.
It's not it doesn't. But I just would not do
it because I just love.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
You're an independent soul. By the way, I can see
you standing up when you said to me, you describe
how you stood up and set.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
There was no movie. There was no movie about p
S A Flight number one eighty two. And I'll tell
you something else too. Here's the way I see it.
I think the people on the airplane, I don't understand
why the people on the airplane get compensation. I think
the people who should get compensation, or the people on
the ground. The way I see it, the people that
(28:05):
are on the airplane are like co conspirators there.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
They I think that's a that's a fairly radical point
of view, but that's okay. Well, by the way.
Speaker 7 (28:16):
People, by the way, the guy in Canada was saying
just exactly that. He was saying that. He was saying
that every time he goes by there, he's scared that
a plane is going to crash on him. And I'm
not afraid of it. But I think it's a reasonable
it's a reasonable time.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I getting an elevator, Jim, I'm scared the elevator might
one of the cords might break, and I could, you know,
die in the elevator. Look, the thing is, if a
plane crashes into your house and hurts you or your family,
you'll end up being compensated. But if a plane flies
overhead and you're a little troubled by it, there's really
(28:54):
no cause of action you can take. Do you know
what I'm saying. I mean, there's no should be? Well
should be? What would you do like a noise noise
nuisance action or something.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Well, for one thing, I think when there's a plane crash,
all planes should be grounded until after we get a
rock solid And you alluded to it too, you said
you still don't even know whether that guy crashed the
plane intentionally because it's all like swept under the rug. Well,
we should be given rock solid answers about yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yeah, Well, first of all, I don't have the report
in front of me, but there was some suggestion that
one of the pilots on that plane was suffering from
some sort of mental stress, I mean, which is one
of the reasons you got to put pilots through. You know.
It's one thing, if Jim is driving his car, what's
the main route in Kansas City?
Speaker 7 (29:40):
Route seventy, here's seventy or thirty thirty five, So if you're.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Driving twenty nine to Okay, I'm sorry, I don't know
all the roads, but if you're driving to Kansas City
and you're blowing down the road in one hundred and
twenty in your car and you crash into somebody, you
know that can happen to So it's part of yep,
you it is, it's part of it's part of life. Hey, Jim,
(30:07):
I got to run here, my man. You are always
one of my most interesting callers, whether we agree to disagree.
I think you know that.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Okay, yeah, thanks, thanks pal talk.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
So we'll take very quick break. The only line open
now is six one seven two five four to ten thirty.
We got uh the other line Cholman to be give
you the number because they want the confusions full up.
Six one seven two five four to ten thirty. Have
the plane crashes of the last month and there's been
a couple of big ones and a few little ones.
Has it changed your attitude your likelihood to get back
(30:39):
on a plane anytime soon? Back on nights Side after.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Now, back to Dan Way Live from the Window World
to Night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I don't know when my my sound went there that
get real low there for a second, h Mike, Okay,
notice for me anyway, Jason in Norwood. Jason next on Nightside,
Go right ahead, Hi.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
Dan, Hey Dan, I heard you.
Speaker 8 (31:13):
I'm well thanks. I heard you talking a week or
two ago. You mentioned flying in the glory days, when
it was bibilized and enjoyable. I used to love to fly.
I had am that took me across the Atlantic frequently,
and I was never a nervous flyer. I'm not really now.
I did have a few exciting incidents over the years,
(31:36):
but I'm less comfortable flying now. Not only has the
fun gone out of it, of course, and the miserable
experience in the airports, but I've lost all confidence in
Boeing aircraft. And it's not the recent crashes that have
cost me my caution. It's more what to me is
(31:58):
a pretty apparent of the COVID shots on the pilots,
pilots dropping dead in flight on the flight deck.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Uh that kind of thing. Whoa whoa, whoa whoa. How
often has that happened?
Speaker 7 (32:12):
Oh, it's happened, particularly after the shots were first out
and the mandates were very strict. There were quite a
number of those.
Speaker 4 (32:20):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (32:21):
I read the I read some belongings of populated by
commercial flight pilots. I used to be a private pilot.
I don't.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I got to be honest with you, Jason, I'd never
heard that or saw that. Obviously, out of any you know, population,
on any given day, however, many some people will drop dead.
But I've never and I'm please, don't, don't, miss don't.
I'm not suggesting that you're not telling me what you've read,
but I would assume that if there was a real
(32:52):
spike in what you talked about, that we would have
heard about it.
Speaker 8 (32:56):
I mean, well, the media dependent on the pharmaceutical companies
the seventy or eighty percent of their revenue. It's not
surprising that they don't cover it. What even alarmed me more, although.
Speaker 9 (33:09):
There's Jason, what alarmed me more on these commercial pilot
blogs was the back channel discussions about pilots that were
experiencing symptoms and concealing.
Speaker 8 (33:21):
Them because they didn't want to lose their jobs.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I understand that, But what I'm saying is there's a
variety of media out there, Jason, realistically, from the far
left to the far right, and a lot of them
are not relying upon pharmaceutical companies. First of all, most
legitimate news papers and television and radio stations. If there
(33:45):
really was a spate of pilots dropping dead in the
captain seat, I think we would have heard about it.
But that's okay.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
I mean, yeah, Well, if you're familiar with the company
flight Aware, they do a monthly new summary, and there
were about two years running where there were frequent coverage
on the flight Aware monthly summary of pilots who died
in flight on major airlines.
Speaker 8 (34:18):
It was happening. It's not happening so much.
Speaker 3 (34:21):
Now.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
I'll tell you what flight aware is also also his
flight track or if I'm not mistaken, right, I'm looking
at flight aware right now. That's a legitimate site, okay.
And what they do is they track and they show you.
Right now, I'm looking at all the different airports and
all the planes that are flying in and out. You
can zoom in. It's a great website.
Speaker 8 (34:43):
It's a very legitimate company. You can subscribe to their
monthly email news summaries, and that's what if you're.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Ken, do me a favorite if you can, and you
can find right now. For example, they're currently and I'm
not sure if this is worldwide or the U there
are currently twelve five flights in the air right now.
Speaker 8 (35:07):
Now now, I'm not suggesting pilots were falling dead by
the dozens, but they were certainly falling dead by more
than the handfuls.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Oh yeah, favorite, if you go back and find any
of those old stories, get them to me. Okay, I
appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (35:21):
Well, I will do that. I know how to get
an email to you.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
I'll do that.
Speaker 8 (35:26):
I will say that. I'm also concerned about signs that,
for whatever reason, the air traffic control system, including the
pilots who are part of that system, seemed to be overtaxed.
I'll tell you what troubled me the most of all
was that incident about half the year ago in Austin,
(35:48):
where the airport wasn't busy. The controller cleared an incoming
FedEx flight to land on a particular runway that that
plane was coming in on short final and then very
shortly after that he cleared a Southwest aircraft to take
(36:08):
that runway to departure. And what really shocks me is
that the flight crew, who were listening to all the
communications and were well aware that FedEx plane was barreling
down onto their runway, they accepted the clearance and took
the runway. Fortunately, the fed X.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I'm not familiar with that one, Jason, so you know
I just.
Speaker 8 (36:34):
As well.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Jon, Jason, Jason, we've done six minutes. I got full lines.
I gotta get.
Speaker 8 (36:41):
I'll let you know. I just want to summarize. I
still fly, and about the only precaution I take is
I'm careful to wear natural fiber clothing for the very
unlikely event that I might be caught in the fire
one time during a crash.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Good suggestion, Thanks Jason, appreciate the call. Have a great night.
Let me go to Ian and sand into and helped
me out here and go right ahead.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
I Dan nice to speak with you. I'm with Eileen
about the pollution. I am very I was never too
concerned about science, but I am now hands down. Is
this because of the recent events? Yeah, I think that
(37:26):
maintenance is a problem. Parts and maintenance. The last time
I flew Domestic, which was more than a year ago,
it was such I was shocked at how old the
plane was.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Used. They could used a lot more now. I don't
know how much time they get for rest and repair
and maintenance. But boy, you're you're on a plane and
you realize that the plate is flying from Boston to
La and it's going back to Boston that afternoon. You know,
it's like or whatever.
Speaker 4 (38:04):
It's Yeah, I have a remembrance. I have a remembrance
for you. Do you remember there has anybody mentioned the
World Airway flight that skinned off the runway in Boston
in the middle of a snowstorm back in nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Oh yeah, well, no one's mentioned that. But I remember
being out at the end of that runway a night
or two later, and there were two individuals who were
flying who were up in the front of the plane.
Didn't be there, father and son, the Metcalfs.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Oh yeah, yeah, And they.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Were never found. That plane had left from San Francisco.
I believe it landed in Newark. And I remember being
at a I at a restaurant that afternoon. It was
a it was a horrible weather day, and I said
to someone that afternoon, I said, boy, I wouldn't want
to be flying in an airplane tonight, and sure get
(39:01):
it off the end of the runway. And they never
found the Metcalfs that that plane ended.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
In those in the harbor harbor, I see.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Harbor, And I remember being out there doing a live
shot a night or so later. And I've never been
in a situation where I was so cold that water
was running out of my eyes. They just came down
and yeah, so believe me, I remember that fly. I
remember that pretey we breezy. Oh it was more than breezy.
Speaker 8 (39:34):
Just yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
And I don't know that they I don't think they
ever found There were rumors, but the Metcalfs were father's
son and they were they believe they were on that plane. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
I wonder where they were seated up front.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
I don't think it was the first class or business class,
but I think that they were. They were plane, so
we'll see, you know, I don't know. I wish I
had more information on it. But that's a that's a
tough well, a tough memory for me.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Oh yeah, do you remember Locker in Boston?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Were you in Boston?
Speaker 8 (40:10):
Yes, I was in Boston at that time.
Speaker 4 (40:11):
Yeah, I left a few years later, but yes, And
I remember Marvelous Marvin Hackler was fighting. We were watching
his fight.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Wow. Yeah, it's a good memory of Marvelous Marvin.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah ja, yeah, great guy.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
I know Marvin pretty well.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Yeah, I loved him.
Speaker 7 (40:32):
Yeah, great, great, great guy.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah. The date of that by the way, that was
nineteen eighty two. I remembered it as being a little earlier.
You said eighty four. Was it was January nineteen.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
Eighty Jo, Yeah, yeah, there was somewhere in the early eighties.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Yeah, we got bosing passengers right here, the Metcalfs they
were from. I believe love to know what happened, you know,
if their family ever heard them. Seventy year old Walter
Metcalf and his forty year old son Leo boarded the
planet the last minute, and when not in the passenger
manifest during the crash, they ended up in the water
(41:10):
and with neither of them able to swim as presume
they had driving. Police divers sented the scene, but the
bodies of the pair never never found. All right, I've
got to run here. Thanks, thanks so much. You later,
all right, good night. I'd like to continue with this
into the next hour. If not, we'll go somewhere else.
Light the lines up back after this
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