Air Safety

My wife is a flight attendant with a major U.S. airline. I am very concerned about her safety and the safety of the flying public on aging aircraft under deregulation. It is outrageous to me that the Federal Aviation Administration was willing to allow airlines almost three years to solve a serious problem with 747 cargo doors. It is doubly outrageous that, in spite of the recent United Airlines Flight 811 tragedy, immediate mandatory changes to the cargo door locks of older 747s are not being demanded by the FAA.

How many more lives must be lost before it is finally realized by our government that there is an urgent need for an entirely new department to replace the inadequate FAA?

The flying public deserves and should demand a regulatory body with clout whose only concern is safety in the air.

MICHAEL SHIPMAN

Rancho Palos Verdes