Do you trust your airline pilots?

My grandfather tells some really bad jokes. The family expects it from him, he knows it and does his best to excel at it. Ironically enough, he just e-mailed out another really, really bad joke. His jokes -- let me show you them. Or at least a "good" example of one.

Originally Posted by Grandpa

Two blind pilots were both wearing dark glasses. One is using a guide dog and the other is tapping his way along the aisle with a cane. Nervous laughter spreads through the cabin, but the men enter the cockpit, the door closes and the engines start up. The passengers begin glancing nervously around, searching for some sign that this is just a little practical joke.

None is forthcoming. The plane moves faster and faster down the runway and the people sitting in the window seats realize they're headed straight for the water at the edge of the airport. As it begins to look as though the plane will plow into the water, panicked screams fill the cabin. At that moment, the plane lifts smoothly into the air. The passengers relax and laugh a little sheepishly and soon all retreat into their magazines, secure in the knowledge that the plane is in good hands. In the cockpit, one of the blind pilots says, 'Ya know, Bob, one of these days, they're gonna scream too late and we're all gonna die.

I consider myself a seasoned flyer; flown over two dozen times. Some long trips, mostly short trips, but all-in-all fairly seasoned. I don't know shit about shit regarding what goes on behind that door to the cockpit. Those two could be sitting there sipping martinis for all I know. Trust isn't really an issue when ignorance is at an all-time high. For me to even consider trusting them or not, I'd have to have some insight into what they're doing.

For argument's sake, if I had to trust either the pilot or something else, I'd rather trust the maintenance crew.

Jam it back in, in the dark.