When I read last Sunday’s Reporter-Herald, I found that one of my fellow columnists — Mike Foley — is as fascinated with flying as I am.
Air travel was a new, exciting frontier in the 1940s and ’50s.
I was a junior in high school when I took my first flight from San Francisco to Houston in 1952.
Passengers dressed up for flying in those days — hat, best dress or suit, nice shoes.
I still remember that menu — steak, a green salad and strawberry shortcake.
After Bill and I moved from California to Loveland in 1964, our family racked up a whopping number of frequent flyers miles.
The six of us flew to visit my parents in California at least twice a year.
As my parents grew frail, more flights were on the agenda.
Bill’s job took him on flights to Europe and Asia.
Air travel has changed since my first flight in 1952. Long lines, cramped seating, no fancy meals — but still — I love to fly.
Especially if I have a window seat.
I love falling asleep to the gentle motion of the engine. I’m asleep — mouth agape — even before the plane reaches altitude.
It’s strange — ask me to drive on a freeway and I’m a wreck.
But put me in a plane — where I have no responsibility — and I’m at peace.
I love flying alongside white puffy clouds.
But, recently I’ve had to face dark, uncomfortable truths about flying.
Air travel is part of the 28% of carbon emissions from transportation. Flying ramps up our earth’s fever.
I wish I didn’t know this.
I wish I didn’t know flying is one of the contributors to fires, floods, droughts.
Whose lives did I make miserable by years of flying?
I wonder if we’ll ever be able to fly carbon-free.
The airline industry is working toward cutting emissions—using biofuels, electrification and modernizing fleets.
While a handful of puddle-jumping electric planes have achieved lift off — battery weight limits their range.
Let’s look at how we fly and who’s flying.
A small percent of people accounts for most of airlines emissions.
So, who are the frequent flyers?
Six or more round-trips a year puts us in that category.
What do we do if we’re in this group?
Does it mean we shouldn’t never fly to Disney World?
Or our favorite tropical isle?
No. But we may want to minimize luxury trips so that tropical islands will still be there for future generations.
It’s projected that much of the Grand Bahamas will be underwater by 2050 if sea levels keep rising.
If we can avoid one cross country flight a year — that’s almost like not visiting the gasoline pump for a whole year.
When we do fly, the most energy saving flights are:
- Nonstop flights — they use less fuel to start and stop.
- Completely full flights — more passengers per mile
- Coach or economy seating — more efficient than business or first class.
While our lifestyles have contributed to our warming planet, it’s worth looking at other players.
According to an article in Scientific American, Exxon Mobil knew their fuel was going to warm the planet 40 years ago.
Yet the fossil fuel industry has received trillions of dollars in subsidies so they can sell cheap fossil fuels.
What if these moneys had been spent on research and development of alternative energies?
It looks like we’re all in this together — citizens, private industry and government agencies.
Readers — are you willing to give up one flight a year for a healthier planet?
