A 777 crashed in San Francisco this weekend. I'm very disturbed by this event because I spend every day on these planes. I'm very thankful that so many people survived. With two people dead, this is the first time that anyone has ever died in a crash of a 777 and it is hard for me to think that something that I have had a hand in building has caused someone to die. After watching the video, I am amazed that any of the passengers got out alive at all

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/07/what-caused-the-boeing-777-crash-heres-what-we-know-so-far/

Thoughts and prayers for the passengers and their families.

A very sensitive post Roger a blessing the loss of life was not greater. As with all such tradgic events the thoughts of others go out to the victims and their families.

JDU

The odds of getting hurt in a plane crash are about the same as riding on an escalator! I'll take those odds any day. WAY BETTER than in a car! And I'm in a car everyday! Odd how people dying in car crashes EVERYDAY are taken so lightly; but a plane hits the ground any you would swear it was the end of the world!

There was a small passenger plane that crashed in Alaska yesterday(killing 10 people), but its not getting as much coverage. Also when comes to flying I am more scared of getting harassed by the TSA than actually flying. I see where Roger is coming from, because he works on this type of plane it hits closer to home with him.

And your point is? I work on cars, and people are killed at an enormous rate EVERYDAY by cars but you don't see people having nervous breakdowns climbing into their vehicles everyday!
My point is that the media can sensationalize ANYTHING to scare the living shit outta people. THE MOST DANGEROUS man made object is the automobile! But no one seems to be afraid to jump in em and drive like hell! Just saying! Check your statistics! Automobiles kill more people a year than cancer! but who's afraid of automobiles? Everybody's afraid of cancer!

Cancer? Everybody's afraid of crabs and Lindsey Lohan.

But seriously I agree with your points. My point was that you're kind of deflecting your distaste of the media and popular opinions, and dismissing something that Roger shared about his personal life.

Alright when people get behind the wheel of a car, they generally feel in control of their fate, although its a false sense of security. When it come to Cancer and flying in plane a person feels out of control of any bad outcome. Generally I think that's why people are more scared of the two more than driving cars. Because plane crashes are rare that is generally why the media reports on them, also the media is ratings based. Also I don't need to check my statistics I'm very aware of all the stats you mentioned.

Anyway I really was not trying to argue any points with you, no reason to try and exclamation point me to death.

I was an automotive mechanic, too (for ten years), before I came to Boeing. But, as far as I know, no one that drove a car that I worked on died in that car. I wasn't trying to scare people into thinking that planes are death traps or to sensationlize a tragic event (I honestly don't even know how that could have been inferred).

Well don't blame yourself for a plane crash. And If you worked on cars for a decade someone probably got hurt in one of the cars you worked on, if not killed. But that probably wasn't your fault either. Statistically cars kill more people than any man made object. But people don't quit using them. That's all I'm saying. The most dangerous mode of transportation is the car and yet we have foundations to cure cancer, Alzheimer, stop smoking, etc. but wooohooo no problem with the automobile! LOL Just making an observation.

And Shane, sorry about the exclamation points. Just was trying to make a point of how something so safe as flying in a plane can be made to make people feel unsafe and not broadcasting the danger of another type of transportation can make people think just the opposite.

I would have to disagree there, CC. Cars are the one mode of transportation that are the most highly regulated for safety. The world isn't dedicating more attention and money toward cancer, Alzheimer's, or anti-smoking than vehicles.

Manufacturers are forced by law to perform recalls on vehicles for the tiniest of safety flaws; government funded institutions perform crash tests on every model made; a huge portion of state law enforcement is dedicated specifically to highway patrol; vehicle owners are required by state law to be inspected and registered (unlike guns, which are designed to kill); laws that punish people for using their phone while driving; and up until recently, car insurance is the only type of insurance that you were required by law to purchase.

On top of all of that, vehicle are CONSTANTLY getting upgrades to safety features. More airbags, collision detection, head's up displays, improved crumple zones, etc. I can't think of another mode of transportation that has evolved so rapidly in the realm of safety.

It's not like the world is ignoring the danger of driving a car. There's only so much you can do. Don't you see how much money is spent by law enforcement agencies on educational advertisements, such as drinking and driving, texting while driving, and driving while sleep deprived? There are just too many idiots behind the wheel. The number of vehicles driven each day is staggering. Years ago, when the nation was expanding, the government had to decide which to invest in: roads or railways. The rubber industry lobbied harder than anyone else and now we are where we are; stuck driving cars. We can't "quit."

I know more people die in car accidents per year, but your odds of SURVIVING a car crash are waaaaayyyyyy better than surviving a plane crash. That is due to the insane amount of attention and money that has been spent on making it safer.

Your missing my point COMPLETELY!!!

I said more people die in car crashes than cancer yearly. Nothing about our ever protecting government trying to make them safer! They could make them outta rubber and more people would still die in car accidents than in plane crashes. Planes are BY FAR the safest mode of transportation period. And automobile are BY FAR the most dangerous mode of transportation. Statistics don't lie. All I'm saying is that the media sensationalizes the events and place fear in the minds of people that have to, or choose to fly. But these same people, because of a lack of sensationalism aren't afraid to risk their lives in cars. They blindly get behind the wheel and DIE! And they aren't afraid one bit! Imagine that.
And just because they are regulated for safety, that doesn't make them safe. Planes are much safer than automobiles. If autos were safer than planes then the statistics would reflect that.

Cartoon Contractor - I just read this article and I thought it interesting how it mirrors your point (12th paragraph) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-10/business/ct-biz-0710-phil-20130710_1_boeing-jet-ntsb-787-dreamliner

Roger, I was just trying to make a point of how the media can sway people with sensationalism.

Just the fact that the media doesn't make a big deal out of deaths on the highway keeps people oblivious to the fact that they are in extreme danger.

On the flip side of that coin, they sensationalize a plane wreck with 2 deaths and the whole world is in an uproar of HOW THE FUCK did they let this happen! (And by the way, one of the deaths was attributed to an emergency response vehicle running over the victim!)

And EVERYBODY'S afraid to fly!

This is my last post on this subject. It just amazes me the mentality of people listening to the FUCKING MEDIA!!!! The average person can be plied and manipulated like a fucking puppet just by what is broadcast over the airwaves.

I remember rolling my eyes at people who were afraid of flying because clearly they were ignoring the statistics and being irrational.

That was until my plane was involved in a serious in-flight emergency at cruising altitude and I found myself consoling a sobbing flight attendant who was convinced she was going to die.

At that point I started to think that, regardless of statistics and media, maybe it's only natural to have a fear of hurtling through the air in a metal tube, 34,000 feet in the air.

LOL you made me laugh out loud with that metal tube reference! But it's SAFE hurling down the highway in a metal box just inches away from people hurling toward you in another metal box looking down at their iPhone?

I know I said the last post was my last post on this subject but I just couldn't resist!

Perhaps it is biology.

We have evolved from tree-dwelling apes, so a fear of falling to our deaths has been hard wired into our psyche as a positive survival trait.

Cars are relatively brand new, and there is nothing in our past that would make it beneficial to be afraid of speeding 60 miles per hour into an object.

Just a thought.