"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

That is the problem with overgeneralization--it is usually wrong. It
"could"
indeed cause more than terror and discomfort. The Brazilian airliner lost
a
passenger when it had two windows taken out; a Piedmont airliner suffered
a
passenger fatality during a rapid decompression that did not involve any
large opening at all. Having been through a few nasty eardrum ruptures, I
can tell you that the pain involved adds up to a bit more than
"discomfort"
(when blood and pus are ejected a couple of inches out of the ear you can
imagine the sensation involved)--the passengers on that Aer Lingus 737
might
attest to that.

Still, you are surely not preferring to see your airplane go down into
Times Square?

Losing a passenger or an eardrum is a heck of a lot better than losing
200 passengers, the crew, and the people on the ground.

Damnit, for the last time--I HAVE NOT DISAGREED WITH THAT CONCLUSION! What I
have disagreed with is the assertion that the loss of a window, or any other
RAPID decompression scenario, is a trivial affair--you are going to suffer
injuries, some possibly serious ones, and yes, there have been deaths
attributed to, or related to, it. That said, and for one last time--the
danger of such a decompression resulting from a bullet, even one that might
take out a window, is less than the danger involved in a successful hijack.
Get it?

Brooks

all the best -- Dan Ford
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