It is unfortunate that this is the kind of information that is circulated
on news programs. Hostess Kooinan can be termed a "reporter" only on the
slimest of evidence. Her experience is virtually nil, except for some at
a few local television stations. Let's face it: her qualification are
the ability to wear tight-fitting T-shirts and skirts that ride up above
her knees when she sits down (just look at the shot used on
Wikipedia).
Fox News has a record of sinking to this kind of "eye candy" in selecting
several of its female hosts, although there are some well qualified people
such as Greta van Susteren).
The FAA spokesman, Scott Brenner, seemed to poo-poo Kooinan's silly notion
that the plane disappeared because of the metric system, but she, in her
ignorance, wouldn't let up, so Brenner had to put her down a second time.
Fortunately, the level of the internet is higher than Kooinan, and she is
being widely mocked now for her ignorance of the universality of the
metric system. The right answer is: if she has a problem with
"conversion," she should be advocating that the U.S. get rid of its legacy
system and complete its conversion to SI metric.
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FOX NEWS
Updated: 18:43 EST, 28 December 2014
Fox News host mocked for speculating that AsiaAir flight went missing
because foreign pilots use the metric system Anna Kooinan asked airline
expert whether differences in Imperial and metric measuring systems cause
problems for foreign pilots AsiaAir flight went missing this morning over
the Java Sea shortly after pilot asked for change in altitude due to
severe weather.
A Fox News host has drawn the ire of the internet after speculating on air
what could have caused the disappearance of AsiaAir Flight QZ8501.
The flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore went missing early this
morning over the Java Sea, shortly after the pilot asked for a change in
altitude due to severe weather.
Fox News co-host Anna Kooiman interviewed former FAA spokesperson Scott
Brenner about the search for the missing flight Sunday morning, asking the
airline industry insider whether foreign pilots were at a disadvantage
since they were trained using the metric system.
'Even when we think about temperature, it's Fahrenheit or Celsius,'
Kooiman said. 'It's kilometers or miles. You know, everything about their
training could be similar, but different.'
Controversial: Fox News co-host Anna Kooiman (center) sparked criticism on
Twitter for wondering whether foreign pilots' use of the metric system
could have contributed to the disappearance of AsiaAir flight QZ8501
While the Imperial System may provide a conversion challenge for metric
users, it likely was not a problem since the vast majority of the world
excluding the U.S. uses the metric system.
Brenner pointed out that the bigger difference was foreign pilots'
reliance on auto-pilot, which he says they are often required to switch
over to after take-off. This requirement is due to the fact that most
crashes are due to pilot error.
He added that he believes 'our U.S. pilots are very well trained' for
'situations like this' because 'they actually fly the aircraft when
they're in the cockpit'.
But Kooiman continued to ask Brenner if the difference in measurements
were to blame, and if that makes international travel riskier.
'It's not just a difference in the way that we measure things?' Kooiman
asked. 'Is it not as safe in that part of the world? Because our viewers
may be thinking, "International travel, is it safe? Is it not safe?"'
