I read the news today oh boy! Page 1,715

The wall-to-wall media coverage this non-story has received tells you all you need to know about the insular bubble of personality politics the Westminster chattering classes inhabit.

Political coverage should be about the issues but all we get is posturing, point-scoring and party political gossip. No wonder joe public is completely disengaged from conventional politics.

I enjoy the gossip. *creeps away in shame*

It would be nice to see this loser spend a few years behind *our* bars for his actions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/03/25/bowe-bergdahl-once-missing-u-s-soldier-charged-with-desertion/

So James May describes Clarkson's sacking as a tragedy . . .

Did you notice the f**kin' plane crash which killed 150 including 16 children from the same class you unspeakable twat?

Quote: Oldrocker @ 25th March 2015, 11:39 PM GMT

Did you notice the f**kin' plane crash which killed 150 including 16 children from the same class you unspeakable twat?

Interesting development with the cockpit voice recorder. Apparently one pilot left the cockpit and was locked out upon returning. Maybe the other pilot was incapacitated, but autopilot should have flown the plane safely. I have a feeling we'll hear more about the pilot in the cockpit in the coming days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/world/europe/germanwings-airbus-crash.html

There are previous cases of pilots committing suicide this way and, as you say, I feel there is more to come from this tragic event.

Quote: Oldrocker @ 26th March 2015, 12:52 AM GMT

There are previous cases of pilots committing suicide this way

The Egyptians still refuse to admit that their pilot crashed the plane, even though all evidence points to it. We haven't heard anything from ISIS or al Qaeda yet, so they might be off the hook, but what kind of a person would decide to kill 150 people along with him/herself? Just go jump in front of a train, dude.

Literally hundreds of people have to know who the pilots were, so why hasn't anything leaked out yet? Someone is clamping down, I'd imagine.

Reading about the Clarkson assault, I wonder why it's not been suggested that he has mental health issues? He sounds unhinged. At the very least, he has an anger management deficit.

The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was only halted by the intervention of a witness.

Mr Tymon did not retaliate.
The verbal abuse was directed at Mr Tymon more than once - both during the attack and subsequently inside the hotel.
The abuse contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him.

The abuse was at such volume it could be heard in the dining room and the shouting was audible in a hotel bedroom.

Quote: Oldrocker @ 26th March 2015, 12:52 AM GMT

There are previous cases of pilots committing suicide this way and, as you say, I feel there is more to come from this tragic event.

They've named the co-pilot and said that he crashed the plane intentionally. I suppose it'll either come down to either a relationship problem, a problem with his job or a terrorist act. Although they said the co-pilot was silent as the flight descended, so I guess ISIS-style terrorism is unlikely, since he wasn't chanting as the plane crashed.

Don't they do any kind of psychiatric screening?

Or have a spare key anywhere?

Quote: sootyj @ 26th March 2015, 3:38 PM GMT

Don't they do any kind of psychiatric screening?

Or have a spare key anywhere?

Of course they are screened, but screening isn't 100% effective. And the pilot is able to override attempts to enter the cockpit for several minutes, I believe.

European regulations allow one of the pilots to leave the cabin in order to use the lavatory, etc., while American regulations require that a member of the flight crew take his/her place until the pilot returns, thus preventing a single occupant situation. I suspect the Europeans will be changing their regulations shortly.

Yeh I read that.

Madness what a horrible way to go.

Quote: sootyj @ 26th March 2015, 3:50 PM GMT

Madness what a horrible way to go.

I almost hope that he was a terrorist, because then there's the slightest bit of reasoning behind killing 150 people. If he was just depressed or angry, it's hard to imagine how he thought it would be a good idea to kill a bunch of innocent men, women and children in his act of suicide.

Suicidal impulses tend to be the most irrational.

He might have had weeks of increasing depression, interspersed with up swings.

And then bang he thinks "these people are probably all as sad as me why don't I put us all out of our misery?"

or even

"Hey here's my opportunity to kill myself and a bunch of people I wonder what that's like?"

Quote: DaButt @ 26th March 2015, 3:49 PM GMT

Of course they are screened, but screening isn't 100% effective. And the pilot is able to override attempts to enter the cockpit for several minutes, I believe.

European regulations allow one of the pilots to leave the cabin in order to use the lavatory, etc., while American regulations require that a member of the flight crew take his/her place until the pilot returns, thus preventing a single occupant situation. I suspect the Europeans will be changing their regulations shortly.

A number of UK airlines have announced a change to this system today.

Quote: sootyj @ 26th March 2015, 3:38 PM GMT

Don't they do any kind of psychiatric screening?

One report I heard today said that he had only had physical checks.

So sad for his parents who were in the relatives to be taken to the site today but who were pulled out as the news broke.