Originally Posted by c_stanley

Though I get the humor in your post this is a particularly poor analogy. Running out of fuel in car means the car stops moving, already on the *ground*

In aviation actual fuel exhaustion is one of the most serious types of emergencies you can have. It's not quite a death sentence, as an excellent pilot in the right conditions can often still make a safe landing. But even the best pilot can't create runways where there are none, and loss of fuel significantly affects performance of the plane. Not to mention the lack of margin for error, you only get one shot at a glide-in landing even if you're perfectly situated and lined up for an appropriate runway.

A better analogy would be finding yourself on a steep downhill drive without any brakes. Sure, if things go well you might be able to stop, but either the wrong set of circumstances or any miscalculation on your part and it's over.

Granted this flight did NOT run out of fuel and shouldn't be considered some massive emergency. But critically low fuel in an airplane is a LOT different than in a car.