What Would Happen if Flying Ended Tomorrow?

This week’s Swine Flu outbreak is making a lot of people panic a lot. It’s not a pandemic yet, but could well turn into one! What would be the upshot of that? Countries would close their borders and it’s possible to imagine flying, as we know it, ending. Now. So what would happen if planes stopped flying tomorrow?

How could something so tasty be so dangerous?

Flying is so much a part of today’s life; for some the thought of being unable to hop on an aeroplane to travel to near and distant lands is inconceivable. However, history does repeat itself and there was a time when flying was not a part of life.

Perhaps there are some among us whose thought processes turn this question in the middle of the night when a huge transport carrier goes roaring over our rooftops. Suddenly awakened by the roar of engines overhead some of us may wish flying would end not tomorrow but at that moment. These giant aircrafts carry mail, food to the needy, fire-fighters to distant regions to save homes from the threat of forest fires. They carry soldiers to trouble spots and dignitaries to and from missions near and far.

What would happen if flying ended tomorrow? It is a given many people would sleep better at night. Roaring plane engines would awaken no one. No more air carriers would break the sound barrier off the corner of our roof startling everyone in the house. No more babies shaking with fear, awakened by the noise. No more rattling or clanging dishes in cupboards and no more pictures falling off walls and crashing to the floor.

Stupid planes – I can get some proper sleep if they stop

If flying ended tomorrow, would the Welsh quintet, “People in Planes” decide to change the name of their band? Would this interfere with their popularity? Probably not, they would just pool their talents and write another hit song entitled, ‘The Day the Aeroplanes Stopped Flying’, or maybe a good title would be, ‘The Day the Giant Birds had their Wings Clipped’.

If flying ended tomorrow, we could hear birds singing, crows cawing and neighbourhood kittens meowing again. The speed of aeroplanes has created a speed mentality driving us in the belief that we must get where we want to go as fast as we can get there. Today cars, trucks, boats and trains that cannot move as quickly as lightning are considered too slow. The speed and size of aeroplanes indirectly affects the uncontrollable desire in the hearts and minds of people to make everything bigger, better and faster.

If flying ended tomorrow, perhaps then men and women would let go of the greed for speed and put their genius and efforts into resolving some of the world’s real problems. The world does not need anymore unrealistic over ambitious ideas about speed, but needs the brilliant minds of men and women to work toward solving life and death concerns in today’s real world. If flying ended tomorrow, perhaps history would repeat itself and life around us would include less turmoil, less anger and less of ‘the get out of my way, I am in a hurry’ attitude of so many people.

If flying ended – we may get a bit more time to relax

If flying ended tomorrow, life would become more relaxed because everyone would slow down and take time to smell the roses. People would spend more time congregating with neighbours and chatting over a cup of coffee or a nice refreshing pint of brew. Cars are never fast enough for some people and so they choose to fly. If flying ended tomorrow, people would probably begin to enjoy driving to a vacation spot again. We might again take time for little side trips and discover delightful and quaint little places missed when we fly.

If flying ended tomorrow, we would enjoy again a ride through the countryside after a spring rain while breathing the magnificent scent of once familiar wildflowers. If flying ended tomorrow, we might learn to appreciate once again the beauty of the earth we live on. If flying ended tomorrow, no more wild geese and other flying creatures would fly into aeroplane engines or propellers. However, if flying ended tomorrow, the jobs of mechanics and pilots would become obsolete.

If flying ended tomorrow we would have less pollution around the world, global warming would slow down and far less carbon prints would be compounding sky to ground. No matter how fuel efficient an aeroplane maker may say an aeroplane is the truth remains, the exhaust roaring out of the engines of the monstrous aeroplanes today is immeasurable. The life threatening exhaust fumes with hidden cancer causing elements would no longer float from sky to earth making us their victims.

A clear sky, in more than one way

What would happen if flying ended tomorrow? The world in many ways would become a better place to live and work. The air would be lighter, the nights would be quieter and the atmosphere would be brighter. There would never be another aeroplane crash; there would never be another 9/11. Perhaps people would spend less time text messaging and sending emails and more time in face- to- face conversation.

What would happen if flying ended tomorrow? There would be no flying industry blunders such as the A380, which once built was too heavy for lift-off without changes.  The A380 cannot land at most airports because the tarmac would collapse under its weight. Few airports have sufficient land on which it can land. In addition, the time and personnel needed to board hundreds of passengers on an aeroplane the size of A380 or larger is something with which airport managers do not wish to contend.

What would happen if flying ended tomorrow? Millions of jobs would be lost. The burden on families to provide a home, food, clothing, etc. would be massive. The loss of jobs would create a worldwide crisis the world has yet to experience. If flying ended tomorrow, the impact would be so great our finite minds have not the ability to even imagine it.

It won’t just be artys types and philosophy students unemployed

What would happen if flying ended tomorrow? Maybe we would take some deep breathes; act more slowly and think things through instead of jumping into the muddy waters before we know how deep the water is. When we mix speed and greed, we are like mice in a maze running in circles and bumping into walls.

What do you think would happen if flying ended tomorrow?

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