Flying is danagerous - a risk assessment - comments please
 

My question was prompted by comments on PPRuNe along the lines “I wouldn’t do that if I were you because .. .. ..”

I can think of a number of flying “pursuits” we might do which are arguably “safe” with proper training.

GIVEN PROPER TRAINING I was wondering which we thought were inherently more dangerous and why - or if you like, the same question, without proper training.

Here is my list - you can assume in a SEP or multi as you wish.

Aerobatics
Formation flying
Tail wheel flying in and out of farm strips
IMC
IMC at night
Night flying in VMC
Air racing
Gliding of any sort

You can add to the list if you wish.

Flying's not dangerous. It's crashing you want to worry about. ;)

(Apologies for flippant post - been a long day....)

Given the right training and the right equipment I wouldn't describe any of the above list as "dangerous".

The only item there though, where I would consider specific scenario training unnecessary, would be the tail dragging out of fields - you just have to approach it with the right attitude.

Driving to the airfield
Instructing

Display flying is probably the most dangerous, followed by flying in and out of short strips.
Aerobatics is quite safe if done at a good height as evidenced by the British Aerobatics Assoc never having a fatal accident in 30 yrs of aerobatics competions.

Its my perception that it has the potential to be quite dangerous...but that hasn't stopped me flying at night single engined.

I'm probably much more likely to have a smash in a taildragger trying to exit some field than have an engine failure in the night and ending up looking for a dark spot.

I stand to be corrected on this one but actually in the case of GA flying is more dangerous than driving. On average someone dies in a GA accident in the US everyday!

I would probably go for night flying. Not at all hard to do, but if things go wrong you are in a big mess.

Rod1

Flying (light aircraft) is statistically dangerous.

However, many will fly hundreds of hours without an incident.

Low probability x high severity event.

Those of us who love it feel that this is okay.

Bit of a non-sequitur, don't you think, unless fewer people are killed, each day, driving?

That I would find hard to believe!

Anyway, it's a crude comparison at best; it doesn't compare like with like.

Deaths per year per million occupant/miles would be a better number to know.

:ok:

Sadly, the regulators don't gather data on flight hours, landings, numbers on board, or any other statistics needed for this analysis. :eek:

However, there is little doubt that some areas of sport aviation offer risk equivalent to motorcycling without a crash helmet, on a wet road. Others do better. :sad:

None of them approach the levels achieved by commercial air transport operations in large jets, and they should never pretend to do so. Flying school instructors who, when challenged by nervous 'trial lesson students', say, 'you're taking a greater risk driving to the airfield', are lying, pure and simple. :=

Indeed, but considering the number of planes in the US flying and the number of cars on the road I think you'll find GA flying is more dangerous. As I said though I stand to be corrected with some hard stats.

YOU made the statement - you back it up ;)

Actually I'll save you the trouble - http://www.meretrix.com/~harry/flyin...vsdriving.html.
Does this tell the whole story - who knows?

Everything is dangerous to some extent.

Driving can be dangerous, getting on a train is not without risk, even walking to the shop is slightly dangerous.

It's all about managing risk.

Crop Dusting...

...At Night...

...In Afghanistan.

I'm curious as to how farm strips become more dangerous because you are flying a tail wheel aircraft :confused:

Sleeping is dangerous.

How many people die while sleeping?

Getting out of bed in the morning is full of risk if you want to look for it.

Life without risk could perhaps be called coma if it was not for the risk of not being given some sustinance while in such a state.

Regards,

DFC

Well said my friend! :D

hazard : flying
definition of hazard : something with the potential to cause harm :eek:

risk : likelyhood of that happening :{
severity rating
hazard 1.no injury
2. minor injury
3. lost time > 3 days illness
4. major injury
5. fatal

likelyhood 1. highly improbable
2. remotely possible
3. occasional occurance
4.fairly frequent occurance
5. regular occurance
6. almost a certainty

risk = likelyhood x severity

make ya decision :ok:

Chapter and verse to back that up please?

Yes I know, I'm very lazy :=.

But to be fair since when have assertions needed backing up with hard stats on PPRuNe? ;)

Usually reasonable statements like: Taildraggers are more dangerous than nose gear planes can be taken as correct without the need to look up numbers- if everyone had to do that then very little would get posted here.