Question

Here’s a classic statistical problem: Suppose you’re an aircraft mechanic during World War II and your job is to inspect planes for damage from anti-aircraft fire when they return from sorties. Your superiors want to know what parts of each plane should be protected with additional armor plating. You find that the fuselage (the main body) of the airplanes you examine are much more likely to be damaged than the engines. What should you recommend to your superiors and why?

Answer 1

Based on the finding that the fuselage is more vulnerable to damage as compared to engines, it is reasonable to recommend extra protection for the fuselage. But this does not mean that engines are not important. The whole plane functions because of the engine, and if the engines are not given ample protection as well, they are at prone to damage as well.

We need to strike a balance between the two. Once the engines start, they become less prone to damage as compared to main body, but if the engine fails, then the extra protection to the fuselage might also be of no use.

So you need to provide extra coating of protection for the engines first, and then try and protect the fuselage.