This exclusive intellectual selection contributed by Dave Simon.
“Don’t fly with goats.” That’s our new motto.
We cover serious issues for the most part in our weekly blog, but every once in awhile, it’s a good idea to shake things up. That’s why we now encourage all our readers to avoid flying with goats. Here’s why:
A recent account in USA TODAY revealed how 2,186 gassy goats were blamed for a false smoke alarm, diverting a flight from Adelaide, Australia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The plane landed in Bali.
Imagine if there had been a spark or flame. Could this have been another situation where a plane was mysteriously lost?
This was the false alarm of all false alarms, and that’s it, no more goats on our flights. We’re checking for the gassy guests every time we board now. “Sir, we just wanted to know if you have any goats on board,” we’ll ask the pilot about entering. Once reassured, we will relax, get some reading done and settle in for a snooze.
According to the Aviation Herald, the gas produced by those aromatic farm animals was enough to trigger the smoke alarms on the Boeing 747 freighter plane. Actually, we should all be reassured by what happened in this situation – the smoke alarm did its job the way it was supposed to, and the pilot reacted accordingly, ensuring the safety of the plane, cargo and passengers. The airline was unable to validate the claim that it was the methane produced by the goats’ digestion that set off the alarm, but we’re glad everyone played it safe.
“BAAAAAAAAA.”