I’m an incredible optimist and I would normally believe that with my extensive childhood experience with flight simulators on the computer, I would easily convince myself that I have a fair chance of making the crash resemble a landing sufficiently. I’d wake the other passenger up and give him an option to help me or bail out. I would soon be so engrossed in figuring out how to fly the plane that it would distract me easily from worrying about ending my life (which normally, I can by quite afraid of, I like my life a lot)
However, that scenario is not an option, obviously. The plane is out of control in this scenario, and I am fully convinced I can’t do a thing about it. So, let’s try again.
Since he is sleeping, I’d take the shute. Dying in your sleep beats knowingly spiralling to your death anyday, and I can’t very well go to sleep when a plane is plummeting down so hard it is without a chance of recovery. I’d be worried enough about safely exiting the plane and getting the parachute on me properly (no experience with that) to risk any more time waking him up, explaining him what was going on, determining if his life was more valuable than mine, maybe end up fighting over what is really important in life, and both of us crash. Sure, I’d be scarred for life by a big stab of guilt, and if he had any relatives depending on him, I’d do what I could to help them out.
Well, despite the fact that I have no flying experience, I would probably (if the sleeping passenger doesn’t know either) at least try to get the radio working and call for help, see if there’s anybody within range who might be able to give some sort of instructions.
Frankly, that seems like a better shot than the parachute… though I suppose it depends on where the plane is, (ie over land/water and if land, how thickly populated it is.)
The problem with these questions is that they’re very easy to answer nobly while sitting on the ground typing posts to a message board. I’d like to say that I’d wake the guy up and flip for it, or that we’d try and share the 'chute, risking broken legs. (Worst Case Scenario, says this can be done, but I don’t know how reliable WCS is.) Realistically, I have no idea how I’d act in that situation. I can’t tell you that I wouldn’t just put on the chute and jump, not feeling guilt 'till later. If I did that I’d like to think I’d help out the survivor’s relatives like Arwin says, and file a lawsuit, per Mtgman’s post
Provided there is no way to regain control of the plane, I’d take the parachute and jump. Dying in your sleep is a pretty good way to go, and I think odds are that there are as many people who would grieve my death as would grieve his.
C. I’d wake the passenger and then try to fly the plane. Geez people, It could hit a school or something!! At the least I could aim it at a body of water.
I dunno about parachutes, but their instructions for landing a small plane are pretty darn good - if you can keep your head and follow them, you stand a very good chance of walking away from the landing.
Knowing me, I’d try to fly the plane. I’m not a pilot but in a panic situation I’d only think I don’t want to crash! I’d probably wake the other passanger to ask to help me. Knowing my luck, it would be at that point he’d grab the chute and jump making me smack my head and accidentally knocking myself out.
I’d wake a few moments later in whatever afterlife there is and wind up being either praised or mocked.
I’d try to land the plane, but I’d take the parachute with me. If I can fly it, whoopee! If not, I’m jumping out of the plane. Screw that guy. No way I’m gonna chance him taking off with the chute and leaving me to die. Also, if he is sleeping through a plane crash, I think he’s probably already in a coma, so no big loss there.
If that’s truly the case, nobody is going to be able to parachute out of it, either.
I took my flying lessons a long time ago, but one thing I was taught was how to get a small plane out of a nose-down spiraling dive. It’s not intuitive but it can be done IF you have enough altitude and you don’t panic, and if the controls are still intact. If the thing is so close to the ground that you can’t get it under control, you are probably also too close for the parachute to work, and even if you are, the spiraling action of the plane will screw you up for sure.
So, bottom line, let the other lady sleep. Won’t matter anyhow.
Hey, I didn’t become Max the Immortal by sacrificing myself at the first opportunity. In my book, self-preservation is almost never immoral or unethical. You have a wife? Well, she’s gonna be a widow. Kids? Well, I’ll pay for their education if I have the means.
I’d wake the guy before I jumped; then he’d at least have the chance to try something. I wouldn’t want to die in my sleep, and I wouldn’t assume that he’d want to.
