Air Crash Investigations
Thanks to a generous guy on YouTube and his hosting on Geocities, I was able to download a number of Air Crash Investigations documentaries by National Geographic lately. Being an aircraft and aviation freak since I ended high school means I treat all of the documentaries like my own sons and daughters. I watched each and every one of them and I plan to burn them onto CDs and document them for future usage (RapidShare downloads allow only 90 days viewing).
After watching my 10th Air Crash Investigation tonight, I was motivated enough to blog this one while waiting for my friend to send me a 800 MB clip we made about ‘Holiday’. Just as a Kegworth Air Disaster (1989) survivor described, you can’t go through an air crash without changing. To all crash survivors, they’re always pondering and reviewing what’s the purpose God granted them another chance to live - to tell the story (perhaps), to educate the public from another disaster (much likelier), or to re-live their wasted lives? To the crash victims, it’s a relief to know that air crash victims suffered very little when they died. Aside the fear and helplessness (which won’t last more than an hour - how can a stricken plane stay aloft for more than an hour?), they went up very quickly - swift and clean.
To me as a viewer, every Air Crash Investigations teach me to be even more careful and precise when dealing with calibration and measurement, or being more clear and straightforward when dealing with people and communications. Disaster can strike without us noticing, and sometimes it’’s rather easier to ’spot’ them than to ‘repair’ the damage.
I can’t reason out this argument, but every time I finished watching ACI, I felt a little more tranquil than before. A little calmer from all the pressures of medicine (though I haven’t studied much lately) and friends and paperwork (now computerized). I start to think a little passively - what if? What if I was on China Airlines (2nd most dangerous airline in the world) back to Penang (and I will) and suddenly this 737-800 break apart in mid-air, and the stewardesses were flying away (without wings) and all the passengers, either unconscious or mutilated, were laying beside me seconds before I passed out? I would be so sorry for thinking why did my roommate turned on his speakers to full blast playing stupid songs yesterday and why I just kept quiet and tolerated him instead of lambasting him straight up the wall. Or why didn’t I just bought the Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-400ER model plane I liked so much. I would be regretting a life about to end.
So after my 10th ACI I wrote this little feedback and thoughts in me. Thank you once again to National Geographic and whoever you are uploading all the films for us.
