Death and taxes have long ranked in the top 10 items to worry about since, according to the cliche, they're sure things. In recent years we've added terrorism to the list. Unemployment. Foreclosure. Cholesterol. The safety of the Swine Flu vaccine. The paltry state of my Social Security after working my entire freakin' life. Finding the car keys. Remembering where the car actually is once I find the keys. General physical decrepitude.
While I don't want to speak for all of us, I think it's safe to say that we're an utterly stressed out society. Meditate till you reach Nirvana -- I'm all for that, but when you come back to the real world you're still out of milk with no clean undies.
Now add pilot fatigue to the list. We pay for the ticket, the checked bag, the pillow, the movie and questionable food. In exchange, the airline owes us a well-rested pilot who isn't absorbed by a Sudoku puzzle when he should be lowering the landing gear.
Aviation experts say the cockpit is so highly computerized that there's little for the pilot to do. Maybe so, but what about glitches? Computers are famous for glitches and glitches need to be overridden by a human being. When the voice on the PA says, "welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking" I sincerely want that voice coming from a real live attentive, seasoned professional.
Preferably one who doesn't do Sudoku.
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