REFLECTIONS...
Front Page News in Brazil
Brazilian Military Search & Rescue
Reporters at Tom Jobim AirportRio de Janeiro
Waiting at Charles de Gaulle International Airport-
No words are adequate for reflecting on Monday's tragic air disaster involving the complete loss of life aboard Air France Flight 447. At the outset, a tremendous coordinated effort involving both French and Brazilian military personnel, special application helicopters, low-flying turboprop aircraft and ships is a sobering reminder that in the worst tragedies, it is then where the most tender and bold acts of mercy from others reveal themselves. The search for wreckage of the Airbus A330, the voice cockpit recorders and flight data recording devices are merely part of what will likely be a very lengthy investigation to arrive at a possible answer concerning what happened three hours into a routine eleven-hour trans-Atlantic flight.
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I wish that I could offer you a blog post about a romantic trip I took with a beautiful young woman, a new guitar riff I learned, the excitement of visiting a friend's Quarter horse, or some literary projects I have underway. I can't do this. This news is so annealed in my consciousness. May God be with the victims, their families, the search and rescue teams working 24-hours non-stop--and to the crisis counselors attempting to bring a perspective to those whose loss is seared in shock and emotional pain few of us can comprehend. Yesterday afternoon, I spoke with two pilots---a husband and wife who fly Boeing 727-200 freight aircraft. They were familiar with Airways magazine and some of my articles. I asked them many questions and listened carefully. We agreed that the pilots of Flight 447 were stricken by an immediate catastrophic event. I've exchanged meaningful e-mails with my long-time magazine editor and have tried to read every updated news report. "Why?" and "What happened?" These questions are on the lips of thousands today in France, Brazil and around-the-world. We search for answers, each of us in so many circumstances in our lives. I believe this stems from our desire for justice and to make sense of events, even when they are often beyond the ken of human imagining. Tomorrow, I will do my best to move beyond this focus for other topics that you may find lighter, and more interesting. But for today, I have written these sparse reflections here to share what vexes both my head and heart. I trust that many of you must feel as I do. Thanks for stopping by.
posted by Michael Manning @ 12:03 AM
12 comments
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12 Comments:
it's very tragic, frightening and sad. my prayers for air france flight 447 and to the families of the passengers and crew.
Seraphine: Shortly after I sat down to interview TWA's then-CEO Jeff Erickson in downtown St. Louis for the second year in a row, the Flight 800 tragedy occured. Erickson was by then in London meeting with the airline's executives. The girl I was dating at the time, a law student, was over at my apartment studying to take her Bar Exam. I sat stunned watching CNN coverage of the accident when she suddenly walked into my living room and burst into tears.
It is human to feel frightened and sad when so many lives are lost. I am grateful we can feel these emotions. We Americans, in my view, feel and care so much for our friends in Brazil and France. I know of a small unit of U.S. experts who are working alongside them to assist, and of course a married couple from the U.S. are among the casualties. You are a sensitive and caring soul. Thank you for writing, Sera.
I'm sure the hardest part for the families was not knowing where it even was. With the pilots not saying a word about any problems, I've been wondering if it might've been an explosion of some sort.
Becky: It certainly appears to have been an immediate incident at altitude that overwhelmed the crew. That is the current hypothesis. Very sad.
Most of my flying has been to and from Dallas. I don't know how many flights have been into thunderstorms and I've always been white knuckled until we get above or out of them. When something like this happens it really hits home. My sincerest sympathies for the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
I love to fly. Incidents like this don't cause me to shy away from flying. However like anybody I do pause and wonder. In the last couple days many of my friends have asked about this incident and my feelings. I only know one thing. Whatever happened to the plane happened very quickly. Some sort of explosive decompression at altitude likely meant that nobody really knew what hit them. At least thats my hope. I also choose my flights very carefully and that means looking at the type of plane thats being flown. Personally I try to always utilize Boeing aircraft as they rely on the pilot to fly and not a computer to interpret flight inputs as an Airbus does with its fly-by-wire setup. Its a small thing, but its my preference. I do however know that I'd fly an Airbus everyday if it meant that this disaster did not have to happen. The experts are going to have to work exceptionally hard to solve this mystery.
P M: I've flown internationally and domestically and can attest to the fact that today's ariliners are built extremely well and carry phenomenal safety equipment. Further, pilots will go hundreds of miles around a storm cell. That said, I do believe a submersible vehicle will successfully locate the black box of Flight 447 and we will very gradually learn the truth about what happened. I share your obvious compassion for those who lost their loved ones. I can't begin to imagine their pain.
DJ DAVY B: I too am a dyed in the wool fan of Boeing and concur about fly-by-wire. I'm not insinuating that this design had anything to do with the tragedy. Just in terms of making a point about preference, I agree with your gut level feelings about Boeing's reputation of durability. The pilots of the B-727 who visited with me Tuesday afternoon took note of my fondness for a Flight Engineer and analog instrumentation. I do believe the industry as a whole is intensely focused on this tragedy and what we will learn from it. I only wish the outcome was different. Nothing should be spared from getting to the truth about this tragedy and th at includes helping the family members of the victims cope for what will be the rest of their lives. This tragedy is overwhelming.
More than a tragedy, I feel very sorry towards this....no words..:(
Hello Michael, just stopping by to say Hello!!...I will commenting soon again;)
Maria: You are a very feeling person too, my friend and I value you! lol! See you soon.
the not knowing what happened makes it very hard--my prayers are with the families and loved ones.
Sage: Yes, and in August my "Airways" magazine article will touch on this fact with a very special Guest I am interviewing.
Recovery Crews--God Bless them--are working in very dangerous conditions 24/7 in an effort to locate the Black Box. I hope and pray they are successful. Until then, we wait.
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