[OT]: Planes safer than cars?

[Scott Elcomb]

On 10/22/07, Lennart Sorensen <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> A big part of the problem is that they included general aviation (as in
> private pilots) in the data.
>
> What you really want to do is compare:
> Commercial planes to other methods of commercial/public transit
>
> Commercial planes against private people in their own cars
>
> Commercial/public transit compared to people in their own cars
>
> Private pilots compared to private cars

Wonderful points - hopefully future research will take them into account!

> Many private pilots do stupid things, just like many drivers of cars do
> stupid things (as anyone that has been on the road lately knows).
> Unfortunately when you do something stupid in a small plane, it is
> likely to go worse than doing something stupid in a car.

Agreed - and having watched, from a GO bus, drivers on the QEW eating
*bowls of cereal* and *doing their makeup* while they drive,
doubly-so!  (Capital G-Word)-help us if Pilots are doing these things!

> The people flying the commercial planes are much more trained, have
> better equipment, and have more than one person to deal with the
> situation.
>
> So if you compare commercial flying to driving in your own car, I am
> sure the commercial plane wins on safety record.  If you compare all
> flying to all driving, then the flying probably looses quite badly.
>
> I believe the results of the comparisons would show people that the safest
> thing to do is to NOT leave their transportation in their own incapable
> hands, but rather leave it to the profesionals. :)

I don't disagree with you at all.  In fact, after reading the article,
I'm left with the suspicion that most of the problems discovered by
NASA's survey is _not with the pilot_ but rather with the support
personnel/systems.

Personally, I'm deathly afraid of heights.  In the past I have fought
this, mentally, with exactly your argument.  They're professionals.

My trouble starts when the professionals start talking about the
problems, but the "officials" (er, experts rather -- I respect NASA
for it's history and it's aerospace efforts) refuse to make study
results public.

-- 
  Scott Elcomb
  http://www.psema4.com/
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