
Revolutions: How much of a threat are meteors to aviation? - Anon84
http://blog.revolution-computing.com/2009/06/how-much-of-a-threat-are-meteors-to-aviation.html
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noonespecial
Oohh. Zebras.

Edit: Hoofbeats, zebras, etc? No?

I worry when this type of thing is even be brought up in public debate.
Innumeracy is so big a problem among the kino and lottery set that _another_
thing to be afraid of in aviation might lead to regulation (or the attempt of)
mandating super expensive "meteorite preparedness" systems in commercial
aviation.

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TweedHeads
A smaller threat than they are to automobiles, or persons walking on the
street.

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randallsquared
Hm. Bigger area, marginally more likely to be hit while at cruising altitude,
more catastrophic results if something critical is hit. I don't think that
meteorites are a serious problem for aircraft, but given _some_ probability
that they'll be hit, I can't see how it's less of a problem than for
automobiles.

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cousin_it
The total area of all cars and people in the world is much greater than the
total area of all aircraft. Unless you hear a lot about meteor strikes
destroying cars and people, it's utterly irrational of you to worry about
aircraft.

Delicious tidbit from Wikipedia: _The only reported fatality from meteorite
impacts is an Egyptian dog that was killed in 1911 by the Nakhla meteorite,
although this report is disputed._

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randallsquared
_The total area of all cars and people in the world is much greater than the
total area of all aircraft._

Ah, I see. It hadn't occurred to me that they were speaking collectively. In
any case, it primarily matters to me whether the plane I'm in is in more or
less danger from meteorites than the car I'm in (or would be, if either danger
were worth considering). The relative chances of a hit object being a car or
person rather than a plane are much less relevant to my interests, and there's
nothing that I could do about it if I cared.

