In article ,
(OXMORON1) writes:
Peter wrote:
(Note for the humor impaired: This is not intended in any way to
denigrate the job of the Load Warriors, or to make light of their
jobs.

Snippage:

flown. But that said, other than the slight but non-zero chance of
being attacked by a ravenous mob of cannibals (It happened in the
Congo in 1965), there wasn't much of a chance to get hurt. )

It is obvious that you have never had a flight lunch from the services at Wake
Island...Can be terminal

Not Wake, no...
Those were flight lunches? I thought they were bait, and yo were
supposed to use it to lure your lunch up from the bilges.

It is obvious that you never spent the night in Panama and left the hotel for
sight seeing..Can be really dangerous

Nope. Nor have I decided to explore the suburbs of Angeles City, back
before Mt. Pinatubo chipped in its contribution to the destruction of
the Ozone Layer. There was a night in Bahrein, though, adn another in
Cameroon.

It is painfully obvious that you have never had an encounter with the customs
people at Hawaii..Can be expensive

That's Custom's Job, after all.

It is embarrassingly apparent that you have never had the loadmaster discover
400 miles off Florida that the avacados on board can't cross the coast...look
out fishing boats..avacados awayyyy!

Nope. But I have heard about the Soviets that tried to smaggle a cow
into Cuba. (It seems that fresh milk's hard to get, there). The
critter broke loose in thehold of their An-12, and even the Best
Soviet Ironmongery wasn't holding up too good. So, the Loadmasterski
managed to get the ramp open, and the Cattle Drivers up at the head
end managed to get the critter to stampede in an aftward direction.
A cow, btw, Is Not a Creature of the Air - they don't so much fly as
plummet.

But your assessment is pretty much on target.
Note that most of the Dangers of Air Transport stories come from
either the Cargo or the Destinations, and not the airplane itself.

It's not that it wasn't an important job. but it's a much more
comfortable ride pushing a Stratofreighter (generally referred to as a
Cadillac by the many-motor types) with more room in the hold than my
first 3 apartments, and its own coffee pots, than it is to get
strapped into a Weber ejection seat in a way that some folks in San
Francisco pay extra for, in order to get your flight pay.

(Note that National Guard transport drivers could end up in the most
unlikely places - Many of the relief/refugee flights by the Red Cross
and other NGOs into Biafra and other African Garden Spots was by
leased ANG airplanes (Notably C-97s) and crews that were allowed to
"volunteer to be hired". That's tough, grinding work, with a non-zero
probability of getting shot at, with the added fun of "The Secretary
will disavow all knowledge...")

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster