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Only inflight entertainment on an MD80 is making a hand puppet out of the barf bag. :D
I flew 164 flight segments in 2006 and am on par to do that many this year. Scariest thing that happened to me was missing a connecting flight.
Originally Posted by keepthelegend
(Post 7811228)
Mileage Addict, thanks for the welcome. Its not so much the crash record that worrys me, more the thought that the planes are so old and maybe not as reliable or high tech as new ones. Also, for some reason feel safer on Boeing made planes than MDs. Is there any in flight entertainment? Besides me having a panic attack! I read an article about the teflon being almost completely gone on an MD model a few years ago (again, have no idea what I am talking about or what that means, but it was part of my Google education under MD 88 problems!) and it makes me wonder what else is almost worn out that hasn't been discovered yet. Also hate heights, am clausterphobic, and worry about death quite a bit , and have had pretty bad luck with family and friends being involved in airplane accidents so that probably adds to everything!
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maybe you should drive or take the train?
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Originally Posted by bhmlurker
(Post 7811118)
Aren't tail mounted engine jets such as 717/727, DC-9, MD-80/90s, and such actually quieter in the cabin, because the engine is way in the back? Except, of course, for the few seats near the engine.
Aircrafts are very reliable when properly maintained, as most US airlines are. 10-20 year old planes fly without any problem. I wouldn't worry. |
What Opus 17 said. You're in far greater danger from the traffic on the road to the airport than you'll be in flight.
As for the age of the aircraft, one of the most reliable and safest airplanes ever built is the DC-3. Quite a few are still around today. And the newest of them was built (if I recall correctly) in 1944. |
Originally Posted by opus17
(Post 7811318)
You should be worried--about the trip to and from the airport. The plane, not so much.
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Think of it as a Boeing 717 - classic model - it's basically the same thing - and one of the better items in the air, really. The safety issue is under the full control of government inspections. Newer planes have problems that are yet to be discovered.
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Originally Posted by keepthelegend
(Post 7811253)
BamaVol, how many times do you fly a year? Have you ever had an emergency landing or any sort of problem? LarryJ, thanks so much for the info, that really does help a lot.
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What happens during an emergency landing? Do you have to go into crash position?! Were people upset? My heart is pounding just thinking about it! Did the plane feel any different? Is it common to have a hydraulic fuel leak on md88's and what happens if it is not noticed - could the plane still fly for 2 hrs and put me back on the ground (via a runway!)?
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Hydraulic systems are redundant. A leak in one system would cause the plane to shift to another (I don't know how many the MD-88 has, but a larger plane like a DC-10 or 747 has 3-4 redundant systems). It takes a pretty catastrophic event to cause complete hydraulic failure. Landing due to a leak in one system is a safety precaution but the plane is in no danger of crashing at that point.
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Originally Posted by keepthelegend
(Post 7827215)
What happens during an emergency landing? Do you have to go into crash position?! Were people upset? My heart is pounding just thinking about it! Did the plane feel any different? Is it common to have a hydraulic fuel leak on md88's and what happens if it is not noticed - could the plane still fly for 2 hrs and put me back on the ground (via a runway!)?
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Originally Posted by keepthelegend
(Post 7811228)
Also, for some reason feel safer on Boeing made planes than MDs.
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You will be safer on that MD-88 than you will be in whatever form of ground transportation you take to the airport. Relax.
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