patrick.net

I have the misfortune to reside directly under most departure paths for my local mid-size airport. It really wasn't that bad - it's not nearly as bad as in the 70's, when most turbofan engines were lower bypass designs that would shake the walls. Most times, I wouldn't find them that objectionable.

I'd notice that planes would use a steep departure angle to minimize noise, but now it seems like they are using as shallow a departure angle as possible. I swear that some planes are less than 200 feet above the ground as they pass above me - the airport is over 3 miles away.

I suspect that the airlines are doing this so that in case a pilot keels over mid-departure because of clot shot damage, there's enough time for the copilot to recover, since the shallower departure angle means that the airplane is getting much more lift and can possibly "coast" a little with significantly less possibility of a stall.

Probably no one else on PatNet is living in as low-rent housing as I am, but for those possibly in the know, are my suspicions somewhat justified? The FAA already effectively eliminated the arrhythmia standards for pilots' hearts. Is this just another step in the process of trying to keep as many heart-damaged pilots flying so that the airline industry doesn't collapse?