I’m a nervous flyer (I hide it reasonably well, though my wife recognizes my anxiety), and this is definitely a big part of it for me. I know air travel is safer than driving. I know the stats. I don’t have unreasonable fears.
No, when I’m in a jumbo jet, and it starts moving around, my lizard brain starts sending vaguely undifferentiated and extremely primitive signals: “Room me in moving! Not know why! Alert! Alert!”
I know this is a big part of it, because I don’t have the same reactions at all when I’m in a small plane and can see the pilot. It’s true either for tiny commuter jets or for float planes, when the pilot is right there and you can see him hitting his switches, talking on the radio, looking out the window, manipulating the yoke, etc., and you have a visceral connection between his actions and the movement of the plane. I actually enjoy flying in small planes, the few times I’ve done it. But I hate big jumbo jets.
I don’t need to be in control myself. But I need visual reassurance that somebody is. Irrational, I know. But that’s the way it is, for me.
The drive from Las Vegas to Reno is a minimum of 8 hours via crappy 2 lane highway with very little for roadside services.
Anyway…
I dislike flying and I always have. I “white knuckle” the takeoffs and have a tendancy to “forget to breath” during landing. But flying sure beats driving if you have to go far, but for a short trip.
An airplane is like a huge glider. If a pilot at 5 miles in the sky loses power, he can most likely bring it down safely to a crash landing in a preferable spot. In an airplane altitude is just as good as energy. With such a great height there won’t be any problems. What you have to worrry about is the takeoff and landing situation. That’s when almost all the crashes occur. There’s no altitude for correction or anything, so that’s when the problems occur. I have to fly more than I’d like to, but the only thing that bothers me is takeoff and landing.
Actually, there have been several instances of complete power failures in big airliners where the pilots have brought it down to a safe landing (not crash!) where everyone walked away unhurt. In at least one case, they were able to refuel the airplane, make some minor repairs, and fly the airplane back home two days later. Last I heard the Gimli Glider was still in service, althought they are doing a better job of checking the fuel levels these days.
I don’t know about you, but I find this reassuring. No, not the running out of gas part - that’s not reassuring - but the idea that even if a lot goes wrong you can still wind up safe on the ground.
GOOD LORD! What do you drive? Some kind of “peddle-car”?
My best time is a shade over 4 hours. Average is about 5 1/4. If you know where to stop, water is available every 30 miles or so. The road is actually in very good condition, especially between, well, Beatty and Yerington (pretty much all the way). If I had to think of one “bad” spot, I would say just north of the turnoff (can’t recall name) where the defunct truckstop is in between Luning and Tonopah. But that is still damn good compared to many stretchs of highway. You can go (in all seriousness) 100 mph pretty much all the way. Very little NHP interference. Especially at night. (no aircraft)
As for the animal, there are no wild horses on the route (unless you go thru Stagecoach to Carson City, and then its unlikely you will hit one) and all the rest are minor dents and nasty cleanup. Jackrabbits, coyotes, foxes, various birds and Mormon crickets (very nasty indeed!) are all in abundance, but due to relative traffic density are seldom seen on the actual road at the same time/space coordinance as you and your buggy. Little chance of putting you off the road.
Just thought I’d say. Thats all. Love you, you geo-geek, you!
100 mph? Is that legal, or are you openly adocating speeding and breaking the law?
Two points here:
there are people law-abiding enough to obey the speed limit, even when they aren’t being watched.
some people are not safe to drive 100 mph. This may be lack of experience, self-confidence, or possibly a medical condition (for instance, someone with a bad back may not be able to handle jouncing that occurs at high speed).
If someone were, hypthetically, to obey a 55 or 65 mph speed limit, as opposed to your 100 mph proposed velocity, then what takes you 4 or 5 hours might reasonably take them about 8.
gato, I guess I was referring to going north on the 93 then taking the 375 thru Tonopah :o. Yes here is lots of little towns and such if you take the 95 north thru Beatty. I also think most 2-lane roads are crappy because they have 2 lanes and I hate driving on them bad experience once in my early years of driving I also don’t speed that much, maybe 5-10mph, but no more- I’m too paranoid about getting a ticket.
