Final Word: Lessons to be learned from Asiana plane crash

I traveled over the long holiday weekend like a lot of you probably did. I got on a plane and went back to the Midwest for a family wedding.

I flew back on Saturday night, and I was packing up when news broke about the crash of the Asiana flight at San Francisco International. So when I got to the airport in Indianapolis there was a local TV news crew interviewing passengers about fear of flying. I told them that, in general, I thought driving to the airport was more dangerous than flying.

My brother also got interviewed, and for some reason, they used HIS comments but not mine. Whatever. …
In any case, I do tend to believe that for the most part, once you board a plane, your safety, your fate, is out of your hands.

What we saw in San Francisco is that, with the right training, a well-trained crew, and a little luck, it’s possible to get out of a crash like that one alive.
What we are also learning, however, is a little scary.

We are finding out that the pilot of that Boeing 777 was on a “training” flight, with less than 50 hours under his belt flying that particular type of aircraft.

I don’t know if having a more experienced pilot flying that day would have prevented the accident. Only a full investigation will determine that.
But I do know that pilots talk about the fact that some airports are tougher to land at than others. When I drive a truck instead of my car, I know I clip a few curbs.

I do know that I am glad the crew on board had the experience necessary to help save the lives of almost every other person on board. What if it had been THEIR first flight??