How safe are we really?
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,443
Likes: 1
From: Cambridge, England, EU
On driving and flying...
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 665
Likes: 8
From: Essex
If you have been flying a few years ask yourself the following questions..
1. How many people do I know who drive? and
2. How many people do I know who fly?
The ask yourself how many people you know of who have been killed in a car and how many in an aeroplane?
The answer will be come as a nasty surprise.
UV
1. How many people do I know who drive? and
2. How many people do I know who fly?
The ask yourself how many people you know of who have been killed in a car and how many in an aeroplane?
The answer will be come as a nasty surprise.
UV
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
From: South East
Oh Dear, Forced to Agree with IO-540. 
He has an incredibly valid point. On the bike you are less in control of your destiny. One careless BMW driver at a junction and game over. In the air to a much greater extent you have your destiny in your own hands.
Look at how people are killed in GA. Then look at yourself and your equipment. Could you prevent yourself being that statistic. I know it sounds like preaching, but in so many cases it is that simple. Keep on learning, keep your ac in tip top condition. And always think, I can flyBa, Ezy etc if the wx gets bad.
Regards to all
Wide
He has an incredibly valid point. On the bike you are less in control of your destiny. One careless BMW driver at a junction and game over. In the air to a much greater extent you have your destiny in your own hands.
Look at how people are killed in GA. Then look at yourself and your equipment. Could you prevent yourself being that statistic. I know it sounds like preaching, but in so many cases it is that simple. Keep on learning, keep your ac in tip top condition. And always think, I can flyBa, Ezy etc if the wx gets bad.
Regards to all
Wide
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: oxon
Put it this way - how many people do you know who have been killed or seriously injured whilst driving to the airfield....
Flying is safe if we acknowledge the inherent danger in what we're doing and don't get blase/complacent about the risks.
Flying is safe if we acknowledge the inherent danger in what we're doing and don't get blase/complacent about the risks.
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 338
Likes: 0
From: Ireland
I'd definitely recommend 'The Killing Zone' by Paul Craig. Apparently you're at most risk between 50-350 hrs experience. Sounds about right.
Here's an interesting link:
NASA GA Training Incident Reports
And the home page:
ASRS Homepage
Edited to THOROUGHLY recommend 'Stick & Rudder' by Langeweische. I'll even lend it to someone!
Here's an interesting link:
NASA GA Training Incident Reports
And the home page:
ASRS Homepage
Edited to THOROUGHLY recommend 'Stick & Rudder' by Langeweische. I'll even lend it to someone!
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,085
Likes: 0
From: Canada
On the subject of improving one's personal odds: I highly recommend Norbert Slepyan's Defensive Flying, which provides lots of practical tips and suggestions. It was published some years ago, but the information remains just as valid today.
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
From: Kendal, UK
The Killing Zone
Again I would reiterate others comments. This book is a good read although it unnerved my girlfriend.
Statistics can prove and dissprove anything because of course you drive much more than you fly in most peoples cases so you should be extremely experienced yet we still have loads of accidents on the roads, both minor and serious.
In flying (I know from my personal experience) that regular flying makes you a better pilot but we get much much less chance to practice.
If you compare apples with apples there and compare 1000 pilots with 100 hours experience with 1000 drivers with 100 hours experience I bet the stats are very different. I know from my days as an insurance broker that the rate that inexperienced drivers crash is far higher than the experienced drivers.
All that said the car crashes usually hurt much less I suspect!
Statistics can prove and dissprove anything because of course you drive much more than you fly in most peoples cases so you should be extremely experienced yet we still have loads of accidents on the roads, both minor and serious.
In flying (I know from my personal experience) that regular flying makes you a better pilot but we get much much less chance to practice.
If you compare apples with apples there and compare 1000 pilots with 100 hours experience with 1000 drivers with 100 hours experience I bet the stats are very different. I know from my days as an insurance broker that the rate that inexperienced drivers crash is far higher than the experienced drivers.
All that said the car crashes usually hurt much less I suspect!
