When Waiting Increases Our Safety

Re “Cushion of Time Is My Copilot,” Opinion, April 11: Peter Garrison’s advice that “a wise pilot has time to spare” reminded me of a time when the departure of my flight from LAX was delayed for an hour by mechanical problems. While we were seated aboard waiting for the repairs to the airliner to be completed, the captain announced over the PA system, “I’d rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air than in the air wishing I was on the ground.” His words put our wait into perspective.

Alan Guttman

Los Angeles