KoreaWandering comments

@M3M3M3

I'll try to answer your question regarding chain of command issues. I work in linguistic evaluation of aviation personnel in the field. The issue of co-pilots feeling intimidated to question the authority and or point out mistakes of their pilots in East Asia has been a serious issue that has caused fatal accidents in the past. Because of this, most companies have modified what is called CRM training (Crew Resource Management) to eliminate these types of situations and make certain that mistakes are pointed out in real time. Without naming names, I have interviewed a co-pilot from one airline that felt confident in questioning their captain, and a different company's (same country) co-pilot who told me he was "afraid" to question his captain. This may not be indicative of the entire company but it indicates that there is still work to be done. Peach Airlines is a subsidiary of ANA which has a very strong safety culture and probably utilizes similar CRM training in regards to their crew although I haven't read it myself. LCC's (Low cost carriers) generally have less experienced pilots with lower pay, but this is not always the case and in order to get a commercial pilot's license in most countries you must go through rigorous training. In my experience, Japanese ATC (Air traffic control) personnel are extremely professional and usually speak slowly and clearly. Human error can always happen for a variety of reasons (we aren't perfect after all). The Airbus 320 that they were flying luckily has safeguards that prevented them from crashing in this situation, the ground proximity warning system. However, 90 percent of modern flight is done via auto-pilot and pilot's are more or less managers in the cockpit more than actual pilots most of the time (pilots take off and land, but even that can be done with autopilot at airports with the newest technology). The pilot might have misunderstood ATC's instructions and possibly input the wrong altitude into the flight computer, maybe without putting much thought into it because he most likely wasn't actually flying the plane (auto-pilot). Pilot's always read back ATC commands and vice versa to prevent mistakes like this from happening. Usually accidents happen due to multiple mistakes, failures, or random occurrences that happen simultaneously and are luckily very rare. The company erasing the data from the FDR (Flight Data Recorder) should be a crime punishable by imprisonment and suspension of service for the airline. I'm glad everyone got to their destination safely and I hope that we all continue to constantly improve the safety of aviation.

I'm an American/Permanent Resident of South Korea who has also lived in Japan. I went to the website of Jangsu district in North Jeolla Province. I was surprised to find that the area is willing to welcome that group with open arms. They don't have to flee the country to find happiness and peace of mind, happiness comes from within, not from a location. That being said, I understand their desire for a fresh start. It won't be easy, when I first moved to Korea from Japan, I absolutely hated it. Over time, after learning the language and getting adjusted to the culture, Korea really grew on me and now I really enjoy my life here. It's not for everyone, but I think some of them will enjoy their new life here. As for Korea/Japan relations, Korean's still strongly dislike Japan, but that is mainly focused towards the Government and not it's people (maybe something the residents of Fukushima that are leaving have in common with their new neighbors). As for North Korea, I live 10 miles from the border. I would be lying if war with a large and hostile ground force just around the corner that threatens to turn my neighborhood into a "sea of fire" doesn't cross my mind from time to time, but it's very unlikely. There is a large U.S. military force in the country and besides, that province they would be moving to is not close to the border and wouldn't be a military target in the unlikely event of war. Kyushu is a good alternative for Fukushima residents as well. Good luck to them