4 JUNE 1988, Page 22

Ballast?

Sir: 'A Hawaiian Boeing 737 had a large part of its roof ripped off at 24,000 feet; with the loss of only one air hostess the pilot managed to fly 25 miles and land the plane' (Portrait of the week, 7 May). as there been any assessment of how far he might have flown if he had lost two air hostesses?

C. A. Bosset

Penrheol, Llangynidr, Powys