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Old 11th Apr 2009, 23:13
  #9 (permalink)  
Rigga
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Anglia
Posts: 2,076
Received 6 Likes on 5 Posts
The "Problem" with aviation is that it is constantly changing.

Equipment, Materials, Personnel, Processes, Repairs Schemes, Regulations, Research, Development, Standards, Companies, Manufacturers. All changing, all the time.

And nearly all the time it is to save money.

I cant remember which astronaut it was (John Bell?) who I paraphrase as saying:

"All the time I was up there, I couldn't help thinking all the capsule's parts were made by the cheapest bidders!"

The same goes for all parts made for any aircraft. If you think a broken Main Rotor is a critical item - try flying a plane with a broken Spar!

Yes, I am being simplistic! But I am trying to say that it can be a matter of Luck. As it can be lucky just to get to work every day, and then get home safely too.

Every care is taken with getting these critical products right - Manufacturers do worry about getting it wrong!

Perhaps it's time to change the "business equations" of safety levels - but I think that would be sooo costly as to prevent future development of any aircraft.

The main point is that we all want to make money as easily as possible, with the most risk permitted. We all accept inflated amounts of money to take part in those risk mitigations too.

We don't accept a high level of risk in anything we do - because we partake in daily risk assessment and mitigation.

Sometimes, someone gets something wrong - but not often. Often, it has been found, the person who 'does it wrong' is not aware of what has happened or why it happened until years after it happened.

Aviation, like medicine, is not a science. It is a "best guess" with some maths thrown in as a check.

We must learn from it - and then move on. As we always do.

We are all as good as the last accident/incident proved.


My respects to those that died, and to their families.

Rigga
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