Monday, May 15, 2006
Aviation Safety
Tom sent me a link to an opinion/article on general aviation safety. He swore he would never set foot in an airplane again . . . until next weekend when we plan to fly to Iowa again.
The article tries to do a statistical analysis of GA safety that has been done a thousand times before a thousand different ways. I limited my aviation activity for years due to numbers, but nobody does it because of numbers, they only avoid it because of numbers. And the numbers don't take everything into account.
Despite the bad grammar and marginal clarity, I think these comments posted to the article put it in perspective:
"One more comment... I've been a pilot for some years and there are very few people in the U.S. who can pilot a plane and the beauty of flying a plane is more than most people could ever experience in a lifetime. I've seen more beauty then most could ever imagine. I've also been in several emergency situations but I assure you that with the intense training of being a pilot you are prepared for most situations. When you are up at 10,000 feet with the moon gleaming off a big lake you realize that in your lifetime you out of very few will ever experience that beauty.
I guess I could spend my life smoking and drinking not to accomplish anything in life or fly a plane knowing I've accomplished what billions of others only dream of, so I guess it is all about choices."
And this one:
"GA is a hobby just like collecting motorcycles, playing sports or what so ever... The thing I can assure you of is that pilots are the most highly trained of all. Accidents happens and I don't know what is safer but sometimes you have to ask yourself are you really doing what you love to do? If you put GA in perspective to motorcycles and to some sports there is no comparison. So many people get wrapped up into comparing GA to cars when really there is no comparison as the proportions don't compare. But after watching my mom pass due to cancer which kills more people then both combined, I have to believe that you have to let people fulfill there dreams. You can never tell someone their chances are greater one way or the other, because you are limiting their dreams and hence are they truly happy."
As with everything to do with the way we live our lives, it is all about choices.
The article tries to do a statistical analysis of GA safety that has been done a thousand times before a thousand different ways. I limited my aviation activity for years due to numbers, but nobody does it because of numbers, they only avoid it because of numbers. And the numbers don't take everything into account.
Despite the bad grammar and marginal clarity, I think these comments posted to the article put it in perspective:
"One more comment... I've been a pilot for some years and there are very few people in the U.S. who can pilot a plane and the beauty of flying a plane is more than most people could ever experience in a lifetime. I've seen more beauty then most could ever imagine. I've also been in several emergency situations but I assure you that with the intense training of being a pilot you are prepared for most situations. When you are up at 10,000 feet with the moon gleaming off a big lake you realize that in your lifetime you out of very few will ever experience that beauty.
I guess I could spend my life smoking and drinking not to accomplish anything in life or fly a plane knowing I've accomplished what billions of others only dream of, so I guess it is all about choices."
And this one:
"GA is a hobby just like collecting motorcycles, playing sports or what so ever... The thing I can assure you of is that pilots are the most highly trained of all. Accidents happens and I don't know what is safer but sometimes you have to ask yourself are you really doing what you love to do? If you put GA in perspective to motorcycles and to some sports there is no comparison. So many people get wrapped up into comparing GA to cars when really there is no comparison as the proportions don't compare. But after watching my mom pass due to cancer which kills more people then both combined, I have to believe that you have to let people fulfill there dreams. You can never tell someone their chances are greater one way or the other, because you are limiting their dreams and hence are they truly happy."
As with everything to do with the way we live our lives, it is all about choices.
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