Let’s be real—flying is ridiculously safe compared to, say, crossing a busy Mumbai street. But when you’re 30,000 feet up and the plane starts shaking like a Maruti on a potholed road, statistics don’t mean much. That’s why we’re bringing WSJ’s aviation guru to you—no corporate jargon, just straight talk about what keeps planes in the sky.
Seriously, ask anything. White-knuckled flyer? Industry insider who thinks they know better? Doesn’t matter. This is your chance to get answers without some PR-filtered nonsense. Drop your questions below—and yeah, upvote the good ones so we know what really matters to people.
If you’re a WSJ subscriber—and why wouldn’t you be?—just chuck your question in the comments. Pro tip: Be specific. “Why do planes feel like they’re falling sometimes?” is way better than “Is flying safe?” Trust me, our expert hates vague questions almost as much as airline food.
We’ll update responses as they come in, tackling the most-liked questions first. Bookmark this page or follow our reporter—guy’s got more airline miles than your entire family tree combined.
How safe is flying actually?
Here’s the thing—you’re more likely to die choking on your breakfast paratha than in a plane crash. 2023 stats show just 0.07 fatal accidents per million flights. But hey, try telling that to your brain during turbulence.
What usually goes wrong?
Pilots are human—shocking, right? But between better tech and rules that actually let them sleep, we’ve come a long way from the “fly till you drop” days.
What’s changed in aviation tech?
Planes now basically diagnose themselves before things get bad. The real game-changer? AI that predicts maintenance needs—cut mechanical failures by 35% in ten years. Take that, your local car mechanic.
How does the FAA keep airlines honest?
Surprise inspections, mandatory reporting—the whole shebang. After the 737 MAX mess, they’ve been under pressure to do better. Results? Well… let’s say it’s a work in progress.
Our guy—who’s seen everything from near-collisions to airline execs sweating in congressional hearings—says the real change isn’t flashy tech: “It’s that pilots can now report even small issues without getting fired. That’s how you stop small screw-ups from turning into CNN breaking news.”
Check out our deep dive into near-misses (spoiler: way more common than you think) or the podcast Black Box Down. Miss this Q&A? Follow #WSJAirSafety—we do these whenever enough people panic about flying.
At the end of the day, feeling safe matters as much as being safe. So ask away—no question’s too dumb. And if this helped, share it with that one friend who still white-knuckles the armrest at takeoff.
Source: WSJ – US Business
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