Aboard

It may be over two years late, but the 787 is still a beauty. I just got back from a trip to the 787 final assembly line, where I got to step aboard a Dreamliner for the first time.

Airplanes are representative of the difference between my personal intellect and emotions. I KNOW that commercial air travel on a first-world airline is not just safe, but absurdly safe. It is safer than cars, trains, boats, ships, or just walking down the street. Yet, I still cannot sleep on a plane - the best I can manage is a half-sleeping state. Again, I find aircraft systems fascinating - both technically and aesthetically. I know a great deal about their inner workings. But I can't make myselft trust them. There's no logical reason for it, but my emotions aren't under the control of logic.

Perhaps part of the problem is the TSA. I firmly believe (and this is both intellect and emotion) that they make flying less safe. Perhaps part of the problem is that I know what they are trying to do, and I disagree with their whole philosophy, not just how they apply it to produce regulations and processes. Also I think from a strict constitutional standpoint the TSA screenings are illegal (because they are done by the federal government, not by any party to the contract between me and the airline).

It doesn't change the fact that it was a thrill to go aboard a 787, and I'd be even more psyched to go on a test flight.

But I wouldn't be able to sleep.