AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2011 - 30

SAFETYPILOT

BY BRUCE LANDSBERG
PRESIDENT, AOPA FOUNDATION

Bitten by sound bites

ews flash! Sound-bite headlines are often misleading—not that the media or anyone would ever want to mislead, of course.

For the airlines we have a professionally crewed jet operating under IFR, flying out of an approved airport to another approved airport, by a crew that has been route checked, dispatched, and assisted by a team of professionals they can consult at any time during the flight. Airline aircraft fly over most of the weather, are pressurized, approved for significant icing, and have thunderstorm-detection gear. The vast majority are turbine-powered, equipped with at least two engines, and must be capable of abortThere are three aviation safety sound bites to ing or continuing a takeoff on the available runway. AOPA Foundation strike from your repertoire (unless, of course, the En route, they must be able to divert to another airPresident Bruce objective is to obfuscate): port regardless of distance or terrain. Landsberg is a “If you can drive a car you can fly an airplane.” Conversely, GA aircraft are vastly different from single and multiWhile most humans can become pilots with enough one another. They include the smallest amateurengine rated ATP/ built craft carrying one person to 15-passenger instruction, flight does require much more skill and CFI with more than business jets. Add light sport machines, trainers, judgment than driving a car. 6,000 hours. “Flying is safer than driving.” But only when comagriculture airplanes, banner towers, and aerobatic pared to the airlines. Light aircraft flight is quite a bit aircraft. Their missions are equally varied and often riskier, although it can be significantly improved by following much riskier than flying from A to B. Takeoff or landing is the most dangerous phase of flight for the rules, periodic practice, and exercising good judgment. “GA safety is 40 times worse than the airlines.” While the raw most flight operations, and is where about half of GA accidents number may be accurate, the question is why this comes up at occur. GA, as a group, typically makes many more takeoffs all—because, as with most bites, context is all-important. This and landings per hour than the airlines, which dramatically is not to suggest any relaxation of standards; if we all flew to just increases the risk and the accident rate. And yet, some people private pilot specifications, as written today (see “Safety Pilot: still think the sound bite is valid? Does anyone compare the Flying to Standard,” June 2011 AOPA Pilot) the accident rate safety of driving in the Daytona 500 with a trip to the supermarwould drop significantly. For a few pilots, the last time they met ket? Of course not! That doesn’t keep NASCAR from working the spec was when the ink dried on their temporary certificate. diligently to improve its safety—and we shouldn’t stop either— In my view, CFIs should cover some critical items on most every but let’s quit using airline safety comparisons as a justification. flight review: stalls and slow flight, basic instrument proficiency, The paying public has the right to the highest possible consistently safe takeoffs and landings, and some discussion safety in buses, ships, and airliners. GA passengers and pilots on assessing risk. should understand that they are not afforded the same level Let’s assume that GA’s raw flight hours, the denominator, are of protection, any more than when they get onto someone’s accurate even though they are only an approximation. Actually, motorcycle, small boat, or automobile. Ground fatalities, offas recently as 2010, flight time for amateur-built aircraft was airport caused by an aircraft, are the source of great public underestimated, thus inflating the accident rate. It’s probably angst but are rare—the risk is nine times greater of getting hit not realistic to expect homebuilt aircraft to fare as well as certifi- by lightning. cated machines, but in many cases, the aircraft was incidental Where to draw the safety line in GA will always be debated to some ill-considered act. The point is that a single number because opinions and operations are so varied. There are pilots doesn’t illustrate complexity well. Comparing light GA to the in our system who shouldn’t be flying and some who never airlines is like comparing watermelons to grapes, motorcycles should have been certificated in the first place—as in all other to buses, or Jet Skis to cruise ships. About the only attributes the personal activities. How to fairly identify and remove them on a airlines and light GA share are that we both fly aircraft, vastly dif- consistent basis is a vexing problem. The Air Safety Institute has ferent in capability, and occasionally occupy the same airspace. more than 30 free online courses, publishes a quiz every other Where GA and air carrier operations use similar aircraft— week, and offers about 200 free live seminars annually. What jets—the safety records are similar. But GA’s diversity is the more should we do? Are you convinced that the government source of statistically stupid comparisons. Consider a single- can make GA much safer than it already is, without a significant engine piston aircraft flown by an inexperienced, lone VFR pilot reduction in your freedom to fly? That’s really up to us, as pilots operating from a short runway, with no weather-detection gear, in command. So the next time someone tosses off the GA/airno dispatcher to assess weather before and during the flight, line safety stats for shock value, ask them if they equate the high possibly to a destination he’s never been to before. banks of Daytona with the supermarket parking lot. 30 • SEPTEMBER
2011

AOPA PILOT •

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2011