Having recently experienced a death in my family, I have come to believe that the length of ones life is of lesser importance than the quality, if you will. The memories you make while you are young(er) and healthy are the things you mourn most after the loss. Not so much those final reflective years when the family is grown and half of your friends are gone. I would rather have a day off, with my family and friends, than make an extra few bucks and miss the good times. People flying 90 hrs ... I feel sorry for you that you have to do that. I love my job, but time is by far the most precious commodity... especially the younger years. Make the most of them!!!

Any chance Rainboe was involved Timbo? :(

Sorry for your loss. Your family will be in my prayers. Time will heal the wounds that nothing else will. It will be a good opportunity to reconnect with family members that have lost touch over the years and strengthen the connections already have.

God bless.

Notice how Rainboe was removed from our Boeing jets around this time.


The Seattle Times. October 30, 1996
When jets crash: How Boeing fights to limit liability

Even a much smaller case, far from the headlines, can provoke Boeing's legal tenacity if manufacturing liability is at issue.


In the late 1980s, Lance Schaeffer, a San Diego attorney, represented a USAir pilot, Richard O'Harren, in what became a knock-down, drag-out legal battle with Gerard and Boeing.

Boeing ultimately paid O'Harren $317,000 in compensatory damages and legal fees, after a six-year fight, for injuries O'Harren suffered when he was sprayed in the face by a windshield rain repellent called RainBoe.

Invented by Boeing in the mid-'60s, RainBoe became standard equipment on jetliners. It was usually stored in a canister inside the cabin, within arm's reach of the pilot. Sometimes the canister leaked.

Boeing to this day contends RainBoe is nontoxic, though 95 percent of it is a solvent, Freon 113, which has been blamed in at least 12 deaths in industrial settings.

At a 1990 trial, Schaeffer produced substantial evidence that Freon 113 attacks the human central nervous system, causing disorientation, motor-skills impairment and sudden heart attack. Schaeffer also established that there was a pattern of RainBoe canisters leaking.

Led by Gerard, Boeing's defense team disputed that RainBoe was toxic, denied the company was aware of any instances of it leaking and tried to portray O'Harren as a malingerer, court documents show. The case swung in O'Harren's favor when the company finally produced reports, years after Schaeffer first requested them, indicating one airline had reported 55 RainBoe leak incidents in a five-year period. There was a service history of problems, after all.

"It was a classic strategic retreat applied in the extreme," Schaeffer said. "First it's 'My dog didn't bite you,' then 'My dog wasn't there,' then 'I don't own a dog.' You buy time and point your finger anywhere you can to keep the heat off."

Well, they did all fly the 727 but most of us did at one point, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

The last funeral I was at I spoke with a daughter of the deceased, she had done some research on it, she said it seems specific to white males in their mid 50's who are 'type A' personalities. Her college room mate's father (a lawyer) also died of it in his mid 50's.

Here's some info from google:

First of all, it is important to know the basics. Glioblastoma multimorme is the most common and most aggressive form of brain tumor, although it affects only 1-2 out of every 100,000 people. A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the brain. In the case of glioblastoma, the brain tumor originates in the brain rather than metastises from other parts of the body. It accounts for 52% of all functional tissue tumors and 20% of intracranial tumors. This is a malignant type of brain tumor, meaning it can spread the abnormal cells to other parts of the body.

I was trying to get ALPA Aeromed to tell me if career airline pilots die at the same rate, and of the same maladies, as the general population, or do we have an increased risk of one type of death over another.

They basically told me, "We don't track that..." :rolleyes:

I'm just wondering if all that time we spend up in the ozone is killing us at a faster rate, and/or earlier, with cancers of some type, than the general population. I think heart disease is still the number one killer of the general population. Not sure if that is true of pilots as well.

To the best of my knowledge, ALPA aeromedical was just two pilots with a small budget who had some access to specialists. I'm not sure if aeromedical was ever high on ALPAs important list. How I characterize ALPA aeromedical is derived from multiple conversations with the former chairman (and I paraphrased significantly).

That's exactly why I don't fly greenslips and I commute from a warm location, so I can get out and enjoy every day vs. pick up more work.

Yesterday I rode my bike for an hour then later I was out sailing with the dogs. I guess I could have picked up a turnaround but I would have missed a great sunset from my dock, while sharing a beer with the dogs. Priceless.

I expect my turn will come sooner than I think. I know it did for those 5 guys I knew. But I'll probably be hit by an 87yr. old lady in a Cadillac, or a teenager who's texting, while I'm riding my bike.

The good news is, I don't have a retirement plan anyway! ;) I just hope it's quick and painless.

Rainboe was definitely in the 727s.

Normally I don't share this information, but if it helps one person here, then great.

As to killers of pilots. Went to a dermatologist several years ago that took skin checks seriously, as opposed to the guy before who spent 3 mins every time and would just say, "turn around, ok, you look good."

She had my attention when she walked in and from 8 feet could tell me which side of the cockpit I sat. Did a complete check with a magnified light.

She found several spots she wanted to put in jars and look at. Long story short, the spot the size of the back of a straight pin, between my middle and fourth finger right hand, was melanoma.

Removed successfully with a skin graft. Discussing this with the various doctors and aeromedical people two things emerged that got my attention.

Pilots are the #2 profession for skin cancer cases behind fishermen and tied with professional golfers.

Pilots are by far the leaders in something that was considered rare but is now becoming more prevalent. Melanoma of the retina.

Take away. Wear sun screen in the cockpit. UVA is the danger. Also. Wear UVA resistant sunglasses when flying. Get a good skin check. If you are in PHX, PM if you desire a good reference for a doc.

That's very eye opening. Any advice on sunscreen that dosent make you feel like a greaseball?

Oil of olay is cheap and has SPF 15 available, look at the label. Also Loreal makes a good product called sublime sun, SPF 50. It lasts a long time, you only need a small amount to cover and its not greasy at all. I know a guy, retired, lost an eye to melanoma. Serengeti coats the back of the lens with an anti UV layer, prevents reflected rays off the lens from damaging your eyes. Worth looking into...