Overlooking the obvious - Military flying can be dangerous!
Warning -Non PC Comments follow.
Is it just me, or has the coverage and response to recent accidents/incidents (and not so recent accidents) on this forum demonstrated a polarisation of attitudes that can only be detrimental to the furtherance of Flight Safety and the avoidance of such accidents/incidents? Any report of an incident is immediately followed by a flurry of the same outrage:
1. The pilot/crew was not to blame under any circumstances.
2. The accident was caused by a lack of funding for… (Insert hobby horse here).
3. The Government caused it by undermining service morale by fighting wars on 2 fronts.
4. The very old equipment was very old.
Without a doubt, bean counters and the commercialization of the Military have been directly attributable to the deaths of personnel and the needless destruction of critical equipment, but do we no longer consider the inherent dangers and risks associated with operating in a Military environment, both in peace time and during Operations? By all means, let’s continue to try and reduce all the manageable risks to a minimum before we start doing the things that take us further into the risk envelope, but somehow everyone seems to have overlooked that Military flying by its very nature carries inherent risks that would not be readily acceptable in a commercial setting.
Despite the fact that Military training is often the finest available, the human being is a complex beast that cocks up unpredictably. While I’m quite happy to put Military aviators on a higher pedestal than most mere mortals, that doesn’t grant them the God-like status of accident free flying. Yes the FUBAR’s are usually less frequent and less erratic than those not blessed with structured training, but nevertheless they still occur.
My point? Quite simple really. Before we all get into the mode of wearing Hi-Viz safety vests and using Hi-way staging to change the Mess bar light bulbs, and decry loudly and often that said light bulbs failed due to a Government oversight and a risk laden support framework, let’s consider for a moment that some of the stuff that the Military are required to do is perhaps a little outside the norm, and sometimes even downright dangerous! We hear frequently about the “Nanny State” but at the same time seem determined to make it the Nanny Military.
If we want to be objective and learn anything from our mistakes we can start by accepting that the inherent dangers in Military flying are an integral part of the overall risks, and sometimes it really isn't anyone's fault but simply part of that environment.
Last edited by Two's in; 13th May 2010 at 01:26.