I had a couple drop in from the western states with a loose wheel bearing on his van,lovely people and an easy job, we spent the next few hours just talking and the subject invariably came around to what he did in his previous life before retirement

turns out he was an aircraft maintenance official, he gave me some scary things that regularly go wrong with aircraft but one that I thought should be immediately passed on is this

if you get on an aircraft (jet) and you smell "damp socks" get off immediately, the smell is from the lubricant that is used in the jet engines, if a seal on the turbine goes then this lubricant can get into the air conditioning intake and penetrate the aircraft

the ingredients in the lubricant are the same ones found in nerve gas, there has been a few cases of this happening, reports are restricted breathing and in some cases total failure of breath inhalation (death) this is far more common than might be thought

Thanks for the Heads Up on this Dave.

I am petrified of air travel as it is, so this only confirms that I have every right to be scared sh**less.

You have done nothing to aleviate my fears.   Thanks mate.   Will stick to the old saying in that if God had wanted us to fly he would have given us wings.

I also watched Air Crash Investigation and that has strengthened my desire to remain on terra firma.

Take care

well thats not the part that I wanted to get across we are actually thinking of heading across to Canada maybe next year to do the rocky mountain train thingy and yep you guessed it "AIR TRAVEL" I am not a great flyer in fact i hate it to pieces but their is no other way, too far to swim and too slow on a boat, but this toxicity has got me a bit concerned that and dvt's Christ no wonder I hate it I tried to go to the loo on our last plane trip, gawd love a duck that was great I can tell you, I couldn't stand up to even get there, don't know how the stewardesses do it if i, like you, had the opportunity to take up flying I would grab it, as far as I know it is still the safest form of travel isn't it??, I could not do it because I just have a non sensical fear of it but I love the feeling once we are flying level, I know my stupid fear is irrational and has absolutely no basis of fact but that's me

I love flying but that story about the smell was on Today Tonight a few nights back. Also, Jet Star has been booking people on non-existent flights up this way. One bloke is going to get his money refunded. A family was left stranded by a fantasy booking. Jet Star is blaming a computer glitch, but it took a long time to acknowledge their internal problem. It took even longer to offer to refund their booking costs. I haven't heard one good story about Jet Star. Maybe we do get what we pay for. Chris

I have my doubts about the safety of air travel. In a past life I worked at the airport, in search and rescue.

It seems to me that it is the only transport that has a full emergency system at departure and arrival (airports). Also they have a full kit and response team, if you stop anywhere in between.

Why is that, if so safe.

Still, I love to fly, helicopters are my favorite.

Dave, Flying to Canada is a breeze. Only about 16 to 18 hours actual air flight time and thats not accounting for the stop overs. My better half comes from Montreal and I have flown to Canada a couple of times and back and apart from the bumbago and lining up for the toilets and being cramped in the seats and having the idoit in front of you put their seat back into your lap so they can sleep. Plus the fact that when you check in your baggage you have to be at the airport two hours ahead, and you line up like cattle. Then when you board you are lined up like cattle to get onto the plane. Then if you wish to go to the toilet, most times they are occupied and then watch out when you flush as it will just about suck you through the bottom of the plane If you are lucky and get someone a little on the large side sit beside you or your better half you will find that they take up their seat and half of yours. Not the least bit comfortable. Then if you are unlucky, you get drunken idiots on the plane singing football songs or the like or the couple in front of you having a domestic. Hopefully your connecting flights are on time and your flight has not been delayed as then you will possibly have a 24 hour delay in the middle of no where as the connecting flight has left before your flight has arrived. The food is the pits ( Not sure now if the international fights for the plebs now supply anything to eat) and tastes like hospital food. Dave, I would recommend international flying to anyone he he he. Happy flying. I

hmmm!! may rethink our holiday plans, kakadu looks nice???

See I told ya's all ultralight is the way to fly

I think I'll stick to the black top. Well, I do like flying in any sized aircraft, and one of those jet things will be taking me to Brisbane and back next month. The only "international" flight I've ever done was to Christchurch before we needed passports. Air New Zealand was wonderful then.

Geez Chris, You are showing your age here as I cannot remember never needing a passport to fly over the ditch Mmmmm now how long ago was it?

Just thinking about it Chris, Was it in actual fact a Jet you were on? Were they in use at that stage? he he he

Now, now you blokes, it was in Dec 1976, on a jet, but I'm not sure what size. I was a young chick at the time. In fact, I was a very young chick at the time. if you believe that, you'll believe anything. Well, 26 is pretty young, isn't it? I think it was one of those jets with a jet under each wing, and one up the tail, I think. Air NZ was wonderful. Even in economy we felt special. That's my ex and I. We'd been working on prawn trawlers in the Gulf and across the top for the year, we'd had a a good season, so we spent some of our hard earned cash going to meet my inlaws at the time, but they're "out laws" now. We split in '82, and I haven't had an offer I couldn't refuse since. I also keep finding out why the blokes are single.

Only aircraft to fly in are ones without engines. Spent many an enjoyable day just thermaling about. The real buzz is launching a glider by winch........totally enjoyable.

As the old saying goes, engines on aircraft are only there to keep the pilot cool........watch him sweat when the engine(s) stop turning.

I always thought I was worst flyer there is a reason i caught the ghan back from katherine it was so i did'nt have to spend 5 hours on a plane. I can only do the quick trip and flew from Adelaide to Melbourne my standard procedure before flying is hit the bar and have a red wine at the airport so I don't fly early in the morning they are shut. That calms me enough to get on the plane then I dont have a cuppa I have another red wine that calms me enough for the landing. coming back to melbourne this time flight only takes an hour they were making the 'we are about to descend into Melbourne' before I even had the glass in front of me luckily the girl beside me was totally freaking out at the whole flying experience which kept my mind on her and not how high up I was. And now I will be having a good smell next time I get on a plane. And Chris I went to NZ back when you did not need passports back in my late teenage years and we flew from Auckland to Christchurch on a Fokker and one of the wheels fell off when we were landing we were sloping to the side and the wheel went past my window. cheryl

Now if memory serves me well, the OLD Fokker Friendship was a prop job. Didn't think Jets were around when Chris was younger and flew to NZ. Isn't age a wonderful thing. And they do not make em like they used to, as how many times do you hear of wheels falling off