I suggest that the pilots of the Fokker F27 and the Fokker 50 that fell to earth some weeks ago with multiple engine failures could have done well to have at least one more engine that didn't fail. This debate is not about reduction ad absurdium. It is a combination of what the passenger thinks and the reality of aircraft operational safety. An airliner must be able to stay safely in the sky until it comes to an aerodrome and can make a landing. As one sets off across the 13,000km (7,000nm) of the Pacific Ocean, the four-engine case is a great comfort, I can assure you.
Mauri McGreal Auckland, New Zealand Editor's note: neither of the Fokker incidents mentioned appears at this stage to have been the result of multiple engine failure.
Source: Flight International
