FLY FLY!!!

We have been doing a lot of flying in Brazil. It has all been fine, all but one questionable hard landing. It was safe, just uncomfortable. I still can't help but think that the more times we fly, the more chance we have to crash, but statistics tell a different story. In 2000, the world's commercial jet airlines carried approximately 1.09 billion people on 18 million flights, while suffering only 20 fatal accidents. In the United States, it's 22 times safer flying in a commercial jet than traveling by car, according to a 1993-95 study by the U.S. National Safety Council. The study compares accident fatalities per million passenger-miles traveled. The number of U.S. highway deaths in a typical six-month period -- about 21,000 -- roughly equals all commercial jet fatalities worldwide since the dawn of jet aviation four decades ago. In fact, fewer people have died in commercial airplane accidents in America over the past 60 years than are killed in U.S. auto accidents in a typical three-month period.

• U.S. traffic accident fatalities in 2000 -- 41,800

• Commercial airplane fatalities in 2000 -- 878

It's still tough for me not to cringe every time we hit turbulence. I also can't help but think I'm gonna be one of those 878 that is gonna die. This is human nature. We like to freak out when the littlest things go wrong. Either way we continue to get on the plane. Pray for Acappella on our many flights here in Brazil and in the U.S.

zaC