Rant #1,191: Wheel Endurance

I am sure you heard about that teen that ran away from home by stowing away in the wheel well compartment of a jet in California that eventually landed in Hawaii.

Somehow, this kid made it out alive, but I don't know how.

For one thing, that part of the airplane is, obviously, not made for human beings to be stowing away in.

Also, with the plane flying at incredible heights, where was his oxygen, how did he hold on, and how did he not freeze or suffocate to death?

Supposedly he was unconscious for most of the ride, but if that is so, then how did he hold on to the plane under those conditions?

And when the wheels were ejected upon landing, how was he not crushed to death?

And, just on the basics, what was this kid running away from to begin with?

I don't get this story, I really don't, but it really opens up a whole can of worms, and like Ricky Ricardo used to say to wife Lucy, somebody has a lot of 'splainin' to do.

How did this kid get on the runway to begin with without being detected? I thought that airports were under high security, but this kid sneaks through ... how so?

It also leads to problems with not only security, but the possibility that people can plant devices on planes that will make them go boom.

If a kid could get in there for no other reason than to stow away on a plane, what about a terrorist, whose only mission is to blow up a plane? Wouldn't that be the perfect place to plant such a device, if it is so easy to get in there?

The teen hasn't been charged with anything yet, but quite frankly, this is an amazing story of survival, and I am sure the kid told authorities exactly how he was able to do what he did.

Perhaps the authorities will learn from this ... and you just know that book and movie deals are ready to come this kid's way any moment, if they haven't already been handed to him while he awaits whatever fate he is going to get.

But the bottom line to this story is why did the kid run away, what were the circumstances of his decision to do this, and how in the heck was he able to manage to survive such an ordeal?

Many others have tried to do this, and have failed. How did he manage to succeed?

Perhaps we will find out in the days and weeks ahead, but whatever the case, I guess where there's a will, there's a way.

But hanging onto a plane for dear life?

I still don't believe it.