Aerophobia: Fear of flyingI am not a morning person. I am, in fact, an early-noon kind of girl. I believe in beauty sleep and boy, do I get loads of it! These are the perks of being an Empty Nester and after 18 years of morning school drops, and soccer games, I'm entitled to it!

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I don't like my routine disturbed, I am crotchety, unreasonable and incoherent if made to do anything that's suffixed with an AM after it, but here I was rushing through the airport to make a flight. Family destination weddings are mandatory and I wasn't about to pick up cudgels with the Mothership on account of missing her nephew (and my cousin) say his 'I Dos'. Of course, said cousin thought a March wedding in Goa would be just the thing, I had a couple of suggestions on how to make his big day memorable that didn't involve heat stroke, but believe it or not NO ONE ever asks for or takes my advice, and they're undeniably, poorer for it.

Now I'm a sturdy flyer, no panic attacks, claustrophobia or obsessive peering out the window to ensure the wings and engines are intact. I am more the 'check in and pass out' variety, I have limitless patience with crying babies on board purely because I am fast asleep and never hear them. However, the past two years have been particularly unfortunate for the aviation industry, and I am casual not foolhardy, things have begun to get under my skin as well.

What Andreas Lubitz -- the rogue pilot who intentionally took his plane into a nosedive at the French Alps killing all on board -- did, was unforgivable, but was it unavoidable? The aftermath of this monumental disaster has airlines re evaluating pilot screening with a special emphasis on mental health. This really had me thinking about the parlous state of our airlines. Forget a psych evaluation, a little research on the net will show you that it isn't uncommon for unlicensed pilots to be flying planes. Many aren't even paid their salaries on time or at all in some cases, quite a chance to be taking with someone in whose hands you entrust hundreds of lives. Some are flying fleets that are close to 26 years old! Is this not a disaster waiting to happen? With summer round the corner, people all over the country will be flying their families out on vacation, which begs the question -- can you trust them with your most precious cargo?

Air travel is a necessity but the checks and measures suddenly seem inadequate. How much do we really know about the people who are flying us? Answer is, we don't, but we expect the companies that operate the aircrafts to. While we spend close to half an hour pre-boarding, X-Raying bags, turning the contents of our pockets out on a tray, and being patted down to kingdom come, all it takes is a minor fluctuation -- mental or mechanical -- mid-air to meet our Maker. In India, mental health is an issue that needs to get addressed and fast. I am not saying every depressive is suicidal but we have to start somewhere, mental health issues are ignored or stigmatised, that has to change, and if this recent tragedy won't get us sitting up and taking stock, I don't know what will.

My flight lands a good three hours later, and the passengers rush out with beaches and feni on their minds not realising they have dodged a potential bullet. I begin to disembark, controlling the urge to ask my purser to convey my compliments to the chef…err pilot on "a flawless landing!" A little flattery and brown-nosing just to keep the odds in my favour.

I resist and step out into the merciless Goan sun…. Hello, heatstroke! Believe it or not, you are one of the lesser evils of my day.