I read an article on this accident and the hearing in the washington post. One of the things that startled me was that the annual salary of the 1st officer was $16,500 ! This just boggled my mind! I bet you the the 'bean counters' in that outfit earned that in a month.

It just is not right that people with that responsibility, training etc are paid so little.

When some other non-pilot tells me that airliners can fly themselves, that pilots are glorified bus drivers, and that professional pilots would fly for free if they weren't paid, I will remind them of this accident.

--because of the Buffalo situation. I wish I could fly more often but why in heck would I put myself on a piece of metal at that many feet up run by a corrupt company and flown by an incompetent? I'm sorry because I'd like to travel more. But it's got to be risk free. Hate to tell you but that's the way it is. If I want to do something that kills me I'll try something more pleasant more pleasant and longer term.

Pilots are in a room with only two or three people in it and the level of CO2 is going to be lower than the passenger compartment with many more people.

Get into a closet with one person and it is tolerable. Get into the same closet with a dozen people and CO2 levels will rise to an intolerable level.

You don't get this?

Pilots are no smarter than the rest of us. No smarter than a bus driver or a truck driver. Get over your "captaincy".

This stuff did not happen 20 years ago.

You have zero cred with me.

No worries Patrick. You consistently do a terrific job for Salon and for the flying public. Your insights are invaluable and your honesty refreshing.

It's a shame that there are so many cynical readers who think that posting a comment to your articles is all about how witty they can sound rather than offering up further insight or inquiring more about some issue.

Keep up the good work and don't worry about the detractors; many of which are just not worth your time and energy trying to please.

I just flew on a full flight with over 180 people and the same on the way back -- most everyone on the plane slept, or watched the movie and ate snacks. In my experience flying, people aren't discussing the conspiracy theories you mention.

It's like anything else, you spend 90% of your time and effort on the 5% out there who are louder, and kookier than everyone else. Patrick, they are idiots and crackpots, you should just delete their letters and ignore them.

Yes, the fact Renlow failed 5 simulator tests is very disturbing -- Colgan seems to operate like so many corporations where everyone follows the procedures but nobody actually taking responsibility. The bad thing with procedures is it does free you from real responsibility.

...Dan

...I suppose you don't drive, either? Your chances of being killed in a car wreck are much, much greater than dying in a plane crash.

Of course, in the car you have the illusion of control because you're the one behind the wheel, but plenty of people die in car crashes that they weren't responsible for.

Nothing in life is risk-free. Flying has lower risks than most things we do every day.

We in the industry have been predicting this kind of crash, a crash based on poor piloting skills brought to us by de-regulated economics, for over three decades. Sully Sullenberger testified in front of Congress saying the industry does not nor cannot attract talent anymore because of the working conditions and pay. In the 1930's it was the infant airline technology that was killing people on flights. Jean Harlow, a famous actress, was one victim and her death brought out a national outcry about safety standards. And so we regulated the industry in 1938 to protect the public and give a capital base to the industry, considered then a vital utility, to let it develop technically to what we had later--a good system. Now, seventy years later as de-regulation continues to ravage the airlines bottom lines it could begin to kill people for a different reason—the experience and caliber of flight crews, as Captain Sullenberger has alluded to, and all for quest to buy a cheap ticket. Until the airlines can once again predictably make money, and only regulating prices will do that, will we see more of these accidents? Will the Buffalo accident create a national outcry about these tragic, senseless deaths? About the poor pay and work conditions that might possibly impact on the type of people attracted to the job? The tragedy is that it probably won’t.

Your comments reveal the constant, chaotic, change and poor money issues around the airlines. Inconsistent and ever-changing is the true atmosphere. Passengers are pulled downward. We are talking about the flying experience. I find little to feel good about and I am the optimist.

I am afraid that the companies have changed, cut, corrected, and corrupted the experience into something almost intolerable. I was thinking about the , "overweight passenger", issue. I think the real issue is that the packing of people so closely together is almost intolerable, even for a skin, thin person. I honestly would rather pay more and feel a sense of security, class, and cleanliness. Removing a couple of rows of seats and providing a little space for customers could pay off, in the long run. The long tarmac sits and their refusal to promise freedom of release darkens the entire commitment to passengers.

Instead, this all feels and smells like a 50's bus station. The decor and upkeep do not eminate any kind of confidence. The metals, fabrics, and fragrances are actually like a government, unemployment office. Employees know all of the right ways to say nothing. Yes, I am afraid of the ticked off maintenance man, the tired mechanic, the negligent attendant, the drunken pilot. I cant forget, during an unforeseen layover, when the pilot and pal wanted to buy us drinks in the bar before the flight.