Why are light aircraft allowed
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Under the clag EGKA
Why are light aircraft allowed
To fly over Brighton like that?
So what could I answer. I was a guest at a nice house in the centre of town. Mrs effortless and I were happily sitting back and watching a 172 and a PA28 turning overhead, wishing we still could fly ourselves.
I tried "er why not?" But it didn't seem to wash. What could I say apart from explain the height and glide clear rule.
"What! They could crash? I didn't even think of that!" Oh dear.
So what could I answer. I was a guest at a nice house in the centre of town. Mrs effortless and I were happily sitting back and watching a 172 and a PA28 turning overhead, wishing we still could fly ourselves.
I tried "er why not?" But it didn't seem to wash. What could I say apart from explain the height and glide clear rule.
"What! They could crash? I didn't even think of that!" Oh dear.
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,032
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From: Under the clag EGKA
Ok! Rub it in why don't you! I may get a couple of hours in in France later in the year but all I can do is watch you beggas now. Don't get old, don't get unfit, don't get skint. Like a pillock, I did all three.
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: USA
The best to convince someone about the safety of flying is to look at the statistics objectively rather than some perceived fear about "falling out the sky" when in the air.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: UK
The best to convince someone about the safety of flying is to look at the statistics objectively rather than some perceived fear about "falling out the sky" when in the air.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Joined: Jul 2010
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From: USA
Yes, far fewer pilots are in an accident each year than motorists, but you need to look at the per hour and/or per journey figures.
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Cambridge, England, EU
I tried "er why not?" But it didn't seem to wash.
It's fairly fundamental in the UK that everything is allowed unless there is a law against it, and there should only be laws against things, ie laws restricting people's freedom, for good reasons. So it was up to your questionner to answer your "why not?".
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: The Wild West (UK)
The best to convince someone about the safety of flying is to look at the statistics objectively rather than some perceived fear about "falling out the sky" when in the air.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Currently you'd be several times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than when in an airplane.
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Cheltenham
Don't wait until you get to the end of this life and say I wish I had.
Go out and do it. Get in that aircraft and do the training. It will be the best thing you ever did. There is nothing quite like it....well ok some things, lol.
Go out and do it. Get in that aircraft and do the training. It will be the best thing you ever did. There is nothing quite like it....well ok some things, lol.
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: South Oxfordshire
Strange how people like different things. I grew up in Shoreham, and although on the face of it, it's nothing special I love the place. Blissful memories of lying on the beach or the South Downs in blazing sunshine with the smell of the sea and the sound of light aircraft lazily buzzing about. The sound of small planes still gets me all nostalgic twenty years after moving away.
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: The Wild West (UK)
Don't wait until you get to the end of this life and say I wish I had.
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Essex
More accidents per mile, motoring. More fatal accidents per mile by far with light aircraft. Flying isn't 'safer than the drive to the airport' - unless you're going by airliner.
If someone tried to invent the motor car today telling us that it would kill nearly 2000 people every year would that be allowed?
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: The Wild West (UK)
Well, it's difficult to do well because aircraft data is relatively sketchy compared to data for road transport. However, the differences are stark enough that it's safe to conclude that GA is inherently more risky however you work it out - by hour, distance, number of participants or number of journeys. Anybody who argues otherwise is frankly delusional.
One difference is that road transport kills 70% car occupants/motorcyclists and 30% pedestrians/cyclists*, whereas it's relatively speaking much rarer for GA to kill any non-participants.
* Whilst cyclists may be responsible for a minority of car/cyclist accidents, they very rarely kill themselves unassisted though are almost as dangerous to pedestrians per passenger-mile as cars.
One difference is that road transport kills 70% car occupants/motorcyclists and 30% pedestrians/cyclists*, whereas it's relatively speaking much rarer for GA to kill any non-participants.
* Whilst cyclists may be responsible for a minority of car/cyclist accidents, they very rarely kill themselves unassisted though are almost as dangerous to pedestrians per passenger-mile as cars.
Last edited by abgd; 11th June 2013 at 19:47.
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Essex
Anyone who argues otherwise is frankly delusional
As a matter of interest, can anyone estimate how many aircraft movements there were in the uk last year, when you include all types of aviation such as baloons, microlights, gliders, light aircraft? I would imagine it is not possible, just as it is unlikely we can get an accurate number of road journeys there are, so it seems unlikely we can prove this one way or another.
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Dublin
I suspect that it might be easier to estimate the number of aircraft and cars rather than movements.
I suspect cars are used far more frequently than the aircraft, however I also suspect that even ignoring this GA will be more dangerous.
I suspect cars are used far more frequently than the aircraft, however I also suspect that even ignoring this GA will be more dangerous.
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: The Wild West (UK)
Well, there are 31 million cars on the road and about 20,000 light aircraft including balloons etc:
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/56/UK%20re...p%20010110.pdf
and an average of about 30 deaths per year for all forms of light aviation.
So, there are 1500 times as many cars on the roads but only about 65 times as many road fatalities as there are GA fatalities. And whilst school aircraft get well utilised, I would wager that the average driver utilises the average car a lot more than the average ppl uses the average aircraft.
Another estimate is that there are 1.3 million hours of flying done in the UK each year, so there's about one death for every 43000 hours of flying - which sounds about right - typically GA is said to have one fatal accident for every 100,000 hours or so of flight but there can be more than one death per accident.
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nts2010-01.pdf gives some comparable statistics for motoring.
I haven't the time or inclination to trudge through all the statistics again, but the differences are enough that whichever way you look at it and and even allowing for huge inaccuracies, aviation comes out way behind in the safety stakes.
I still go flying, and I have fun, but I hope that I treat it with the seriousness that it deserves.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/56/UK%20re...p%20010110.pdf
and an average of about 30 deaths per year for all forms of light aviation.
So, there are 1500 times as many cars on the roads but only about 65 times as many road fatalities as there are GA fatalities. And whilst school aircraft get well utilised, I would wager that the average driver utilises the average car a lot more than the average ppl uses the average aircraft.
Another estimate is that there are 1.3 million hours of flying done in the UK each year, so there's about one death for every 43000 hours of flying - which sounds about right - typically GA is said to have one fatal accident for every 100,000 hours or so of flight but there can be more than one death per accident.
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nts2010-01.pdf gives some comparable statistics for motoring.
I haven't the time or inclination to trudge through all the statistics again, but the differences are enough that whichever way you look at it and and even allowing for huge inaccuracies, aviation comes out way behind in the safety stakes.
I still go flying, and I have fun, but I hope that I treat it with the seriousness that it deserves.
Last edited by abgd; 11th June 2013 at 23:28.