Flying The Not-So-Friendly Skies

Earlier this week, Ed Robertson, lead singer of The Barenaked Ladies, survived a plane crash. He and his party were on his Cessna 206 floatplane when it crashed shortly after takeoff in Ontario. Robertson obtained his pilot's license in 2005. Canada's Transportation Safety Board is conducting further investigations.

In other air news, Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz, is removing all life vests from its planes to save weight and fuel. Each life vest weighs 1.1 pounds, which means that 25 kilograms (55 pounds) will be saved by removing them from the most common aircraft (a 50-seater) used by the company. Transport Canada's government regulations allow airlines to use flotation devices as long as planes remain within 50 nautical miles of shore. A Jazz spokesperson stated that all the carrier's flights operate within that distance. Herein, passengers will use their seat cushions as floatation devices.